Turn My World Around
by LiveInLoveAndLaughter
Summary: After a tumultuous relationship, Olivia Pope moves back to DC in hopes of a fresh start. She takes a job in the West Wing as secretary to President Fitzgerald Grant and she finds that the right man can turn her world around.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _I've been searching, I've been thinking, I can't keep rolling like a broken stone_

* * *

Olivia Pope smoothed out her the wrinkles in her black pencil skirt and adjusted the sleeves on the matching blazer jacket as she waited. She'd been escorted into Cyrus Beene's halfway finished office nearly fifteen minutes earlier and she was getting impatient.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." She jumped slightly at the sound of the heavy wood door opening and his booming voice, "Miss," he glanced down at a file in his hand as he rounded the corner of his desk, "Pope." He read. Extending his hand, he waited for her to to offer up her own.

"Nice to meet, you as well, Mr. Beene." She straightened her spine and waited patiently for him to sit down and flip through her file.

"A law degree from Georgetown, on the cusp of becoming partner at Purcell & Flanagan and you quit to become a secretary." He shut her file, "Why?"

"It's not just any secretarial position, Mr. Beene." Olivia pointed out, "It's the secretary to the President of the United States. I would venture to say it's an even more important position than an office in an inconsequential law firm."

"Purcell & Flanagan is hardly inconsequential. In fact, they're the largest firm in New York City, why leave?" Cyrus pressed.

"I wanted a change of scenery." Olivia responded easily, "I miss DC. I never really fell in love with New York or Manhattan." She paused, "And while Purcell & Flanagan may be the biggest law firm on the Upper East Side and have a long list of A-list clients, it can't compare to the work done here in the West Wing."

"You're over-qualified, Miss Pope." Cyrus deadpanned, "Spin it however you like, but you're over-qualified for this position."

"Oh, does that mean you're not interested, then? Should I pack my bags at the Watergate and go home?"

Cyrus stared at the petite, dark-skinned beauty in front of him. She was smart, he'd looked into her. She had a bit of a wild reputation while in undergrad at Georgetown. While she was in law school she met Edison Davis. At the time, he'd been a very young Congressman from New York. Now, he was a Senator. For the opposite party. "Are you still dating Senator Davis?" Cyrus asked bluntly.

"No." She offered up no other explanations.

Cyrus sighed, "What the hell, you're hired." He tipped his chair back and studied her reaction. She was trying to hide the look of relief that spread across her face. He wondered, briefly, what had happened with Davis. It must've been something to send her packing back to DC, particularly if she was willing to work in a secretarial position (it honestly didn't matter if it was in the White House), and not as an attorney in any law firm she damn well pleased. Perhaps Ethan had missed something? "I'll call personnel and tell them you'll be in Monday at 8am sharp. A member of the Secret Service will give you the run down on protocol." He stood up, "Welcome aboard, Miss Pope."

She stood as well, "Thank you, Mr. Beene."

"Cyrus will do just fine." He said nothing else, just watched as she gathered her purse up and left the office.

SCANDAL

"Have you hired someone yet?" Fitz asked, pouring two glasses of scotch and handing one to Cyrus. "With Lauren gone"

"Her name is Olivia Pope. Here's her file. She starts Monday." He dropped her small file on the coffee table.

Fitz hummed and picked it up, skimming through it, "This woman wants to be a secretary?" He asked.

"She does." Cyrus shrugged, "No clue why, but nothing amiss came up and Ethan couldn't find anything."

"Well then, I guess I'll meet her after she's cleared security Monday." Fitz leaned back, "Thanks for taking care of that, Cy, I know it's just a pain in the ass, but I really wanted you to vet the person, particularly after"

"I understand, Fitz, don't worry about it." Cyrus agreed. "How's Mellie?"

"In California. It's a week of blessed silence here." He paused, "She'll be back with the kids next Saturday. They'll start school here on Monday." He studied his Chief of Staff in silence for a moment, "Again, thanks for taking care of the secretary thing. Didn't think we'd have any problems like this within the first six months of taking office." He admitted.

"Neither did I, sir." Cyrus agreed, "Hopefully the Pope girl will be a good fit."

"I trust your judgment, Cy. For better or for worse, you won't let another snake in the garden."

Cyrus blanched slightly at his words before clearing his throat and nodding, "You can count on me, Mr. President."

SCANDAL

Olivia slipped the pins holding her hair up in an elaborate twist from her hair, wincing as they pulled at the strands. She glanced around at her hotel room at the Watergate and sat down on the edge of the bed, slipping her pumps off her tiny feet. Everything she owned was in this hotel room. She'd have to find a place soon, she couldn't afford to just stay in a hotel, as much as the thought of an apartment by herself haunted her. She'd stop by a real estate office tomorrow and hopefully leave with an apartment. For now, though, she was satisfied to know that she had a bottle of merlot in the fridge and a job waiting for her Monday.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _I've been praying, Lord don't let me walk through life empty and alone_

* * *

Olivia took a steadying breath once she'd cleared the first round of security to get onto the White House grounds. Closing her car door and locking it, she glanced up at the big white house that the most powerful man in the world lived and worked. She'd be working here, too. "Well, here's to a fresh start." She murmured, walking up towards the staff entrance.

An hour later she'd cleared security and was standing next to SSA Hal Rimbeau. "You ready, Ms. Pope?" He asked.

Olivia looked up, "Huh?" She asked.

"Are you ready? President Grant is waiting for you." He motioned to the big white double doors that led to the Oval Office.

Olivia gave him a timid smile, "Yes, I'm ready."

Hal knocked at the door and they heard a vague, "Come in."

Opening the door for her, Rimbeau stood right next to her, "Mr. President, Ms. Pope is here for you." He motioned to Olivia.

Fitz looked up from the file he was hunched over at his desk. His eyes landed on Olivia. She was dressed in a cream colored skirt, a black silk blouse, black pumps and a matching cream colored blazer. "Ms. Pope!" Fitz smiled and stood up, "It's so nice to have you join our team."

Olivia stepped forward, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. President." Olivia held out her hand to shake his.

Fitz nodded, "You as well, Ms. Pope." He glanced over at Hal, "Thank you, Hal. That will be all." Hal nodded, sent her a parting smile, and left them alone. "Please, Ms. Pope, have a seat." He motioned to the sitting area. Olivia nodded and followed him around to a chair across from him. Fitz leaned back and studied the young woman in front of him for a few moments. "So, from a law office on the Upper East Side to a secretarial position in the West Wing. Why?"

Olivia had anticipated this, "I wanted a change and to get involved in politics."

Fitz leaned forward, "If you wanted to get involved in politics, why didn't you just join a campaign or find a senator or congressman to work for?"

Olivia shrugged, "Or I could go directly to the West Wing." She smiled, "And I know that it's more than just a secretarial position. To handle _your_ schedule, to type up minutes, it's quite an involved process, is it not?" She asked archly.

Fitz chuckled as he studied her, "I suppose so." He stood, "Well, then, Ms. Pope, welcome aboard."

Olivia nodded, "Thank you, Mr. President."

SCANDAL

Olivia spent the morning getting acquainted with the computer programs she would be working with, most notably the online calendars.

"Honestly, Leo, I can handle this." Olivia looked up as a willowy redhead and a man approached her desk.

"I'm here to provide back up." The man grinned at her.

"Back up meeting with the President? Are you joking? You're ridiculous. Go help stop a war some place." She tried to shake him. She came to a stop in front of her desk, "Hi, I'm Abby Whelan, Director of Communications. This is Leo, he's an ass. Is the President in?"

Olivia opened her mouth to respond, but Leo ran over her, "Please, I'm not an ass all of the time."

"Not now, Leo, is he in?" Abby asked.

Olivia cleared her throat, "Yes, let me just see if he's available." She rounded her desk and knocked on the door. When she heard his welcoming voice, she poked her head in, "An Abby Whelan and Leo are here, Mr. President. Do you have a moment for them?"

Fitz chuckled, "I guess you got your welcome to the chaos of the West Wing with those two." He shook his head, "Send them in."

Olivia nodded, "The President will see you now." She murmured, opening the door wider, shutting it behind them.

SCANDAL

"And you must be the new girl." Olivia looked up from her mug of tea she was preparing.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

The man shot her a wide, disarming grin, "You're the new girl, the President's secretary." She nodded, "I'm Billy Chambers, Chief of Staff for the Vice President." He held out a hand.

Olivia pushed herself up off of the counter, "Olivia Pope."

"So, how are you settling in?" Billy asked, skirting around her to reach for the coffee pot.

Pouring the water from the kettle into her mug, swirling her Twinings Lady Grey tea bag around slowly, "Yeah, I think so. Everyone's been very welcoming." She looked up when chaos blew through the door.

"You are a misogynistic ass." Abby Whelan screeched. "And you," she pointed to a man Olivia hadn't met, but she recognized as Attorney General David Rosen, "are no better."

Billy rolled his eyes, "Ab, you're not making a very good first impression on our newest higher." He motioned to Olivia, who dropped her eyes to the floor when everyone turned to face her.

"Oh, so you're the new girl!" David Rosen approached her, "I'm

"David Rosen." Olivia looked up, "I know, you were a bold choice on the President's part. A good choice, but a bold and dangerous one. Personally, I was surprised the VP went along with it."

Billy chuckled, "The VP is a team player." He offered lamely. Olivia merely shrugged.

"Well, if you know who I am, then perhaps you'd like to introduce yourself." Olivia held out her hand, "Olivia Pope."

David paused, "Not like the attorney Olivia Pope, from New York. You worked at Purcell & Flanagan?"

Olivia cleared her throat, "One and the same." She turned and made sure the kettle was empty and dry, before picking up her mug, "It was nice to meet you all."

When she rounded the corner, she leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths before making her way back to her desk.

Billy, David, Abby and Leo watched as the kitchen door swung shut behind her. "That was a little," Leo paused, "odd?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I'd say so. She's not much of a social bug, is she?" David asked.

"Don't know, just met the girl." Billy pointed out. "She seems pretty quiet. She's still settling in, you know?"

"I guess, hey, can you tell Leo that he's an ass?" Abby requested bluntly.

SCANDAL

"Ms. Pope?" Fitz called out from his place on his sofa, through the open door to his office.

Olivia stood up and moved to stand in the doorway of the Oval Office, "Yes, Mr. President?" She asked.

"Come on in," he waved her in. When she sat down, he smiled brightly at her, "So, how was your first day?"

Olivia smoothed down her cream skirt, pressing out invisible wrinkles, "It was fine."

Fitz watched her hands move methodically across her skirt, "Just fine?" He asked, his voice slightly teasing.

"Oh," she smiled softly, "no, it was a good first day." She paused, "Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"No, that's it. I'm going to head up to the Residence." He stood up, "Have a nice night, Olivia."

She nodded, "You too, Mr. President."

Fitz watched as she left, the door to the Oval shutting behind her. She seemed like a mystery. She was hard, something had made her hard and cold. She was hurt, she'd been hurt and she was carrying that around with her on her shoulders, weighing her down. This was a fresh start for her, he hoped that worked for her. When he tried to have a fresh start, it backfired.

Sighing, he rounded his desk and picked up his coat, shrugging into he realized he wanted to know what it was that hurt her. He was curious. Shaking his head, he flicked the overhead lights off and shut the door firmly behind him.

SCANDAL

Olivia poured the bag of popcorn into a big bowl and added a little bit of salt. Opening up a fresh bottle of wine, she poured a large glass and made her way to her living room. Flicking on the television, she surfed until she found the news. Leaning back on her sofa, she tugged her sweater tightly around her body. Her first day had gone well. She knew she could do this job well, she hoped she could lose herself in it.

When her cell phone rang, she reached over and idly picked it up, "What?"

" _Hello, Olivia."_

The chuckle that reverberated through the phone caused her to drop it to hardwood floor by her feet. She stared at it like it was a snake about to bite her.

And in a way, maybe it was.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _No one ever loved me like you do_

* * *

He had her phone number. He had her _new_ phone number. Picking up the phone, she walked straight into the kitchen, filled a bowl with water and threw her phone in it. Turning on her heel, she made sure the bolt on her door was secured and the locks were in place. Leaning against it, she took three deep breaths. She was safe. She just had to keep reminding herself that. DC was a big city and she was working for the most powerful man in the world. _If_ he managed to find her, she had SSAs in her contact list now. She wasn't alone anymore.

Even if she felt completely isolated from everyone.

SCANDAL

"Olivia!" Olivia turned, to find the willowy redhead running towards her, the heels she was wearing clacking down the marble floor. She let out a wooshing breath when she stopped in front of Olivia. "Wow," she panted, "I'm so not a runner. I hate exercising, I don't understand how people find it fun and"

Olivia crossed her arms defensively and interrupted her, "Abby, right?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, and I have something to ask you." Olivia waited, "Oh, right, so a bunch of us always go get a drink at this bar just down the way after work on Tuesdays. You should come. I tried to call you this morning actually, I got your number from our contact sheet," she rambled, "but your phone went straight to voicemail and then I thought I'd just corner you at work, so anyhow, you're coming out with us now, right?"

Olivia cleared her throat, "My phone went to voicemail because I broke it last night." She glanced down at her expensive pumps, "Anyhow, after work today I'm going to Sprint to get a new phone." She took a step back, "Maybe some other time."

Abby wasn't so easily deterred, "Oh, well you should just stop by after that. Let me write down where we're going and my phone number so you can just text or call me when you're on the way." She yanked a piece of paper out of the binder she was carrying and pulled a pen out of the bun precariously pinned to her head, so she could write down the information, "Here you go."

Olivia tentatively accepted the paper. "Thank you, Abby. Now, if you'll excuse me." She stepped around Abby and continued on her way to the break room to make a cup of tea before settling into her desk to start her day.

SCANDAL

Olivia sat down to find a note on her desk asking her to schedule a series of meetings with a bunch of different advisors, senators and congressmen, notes for a speech to type up and some extra research left for her. Pulling open the contacts tab, she started searching for the right numbers to call to schedule the meetings before she started on anything else.

She was elbow deep in work when a throat cleared by her desk. Looking up, she found the president staring down at her. "Oh, Mr. President, what can I do for you?"

He crossed his arms and looked down at her, his blue eyes twinkling and a slightly amused smile on his face, "You know, it's two o'clock?"

She glanced down at the clock on her computer screen, "Oh, so it is."

He chuckled, "Have you eaten anything?" She shook her head no, so he continued, "Great, come with me, I'm starving." He motioned for her to follow him.

"Um," she looked around, "is it really okay for me to"

"You can take a break for lunch, Olivia." He rolled his eyes, "Now, come on, you aren't a vegetarian are you? Cause there is some amazing steak leftover in the fridge that has our names on it."

She smiled softly, picking up her gray blazer and slipping into it, "No sir, not a vegetarian."

"Great, let's go eat then." He led her up to the kitchen in the Residence.

"Mr. President," she paused, "are you sure it's okay for me to be up here eating with you?" She asked quickly. She was well-aware that he was a married man and she didn't want to get in between him and his wife. She didn't want any drama of any kind. She just wanted to do her job and skate by unnoticed.

Fitz looked slightly startled by her question, "Of course it is. I actually wanted to run a few things by you. And I realized I hadn't eaten and you haven't left you desk since you sat down this morning, so I figured I could discuss this with you while we eat." He pointed to one of the bar stools. "Now sit."

Biting back a smile, Olivia perched herself on one of the stools. "What did you want to discuss?" She asked.

He dropped a huge binder that he'd tucked under his arm before he ushered her upstairs in front of her. "I need a fresh set of eyes on this and your legal background is just what I need."

Olivia's brow furrowed, "The Dream Act?" She asked.

"One of my promises was to make education more accessible to all children." He explained, "This is supposed to help with that."

Olivia nodded, "I remember you campaigning for that. I was surprised the VP was willing to go along with it."

"Well, I'm writing a bill. Or attempting to write a bill, that will make this possible." Fitz explained, setting a plate in the microwave. "Anyhow, I've had advisors and my team all over it, but there's still something off. I was hoping you could take some time and read the file, maybe tell me what I'm missing? I think we're all just too close to it and have spent too much time going through it at this point."

Olivia stared at the cover page, "Mr. President, I don't want to overstep my job and"

"And you are more qualified and have more experience in the legal field than some members of Congress." He interrupted, "And you're not overstepping because I'm asking for help. Look, I'm going to be honest with you," he paused and looked around, "I've got to get this bill past Sally. It'll never get past her in its current state."

"You know she could fight this all the way to the end." Olivia warned him, flipping one more page to skim through a summary of the bill.

Fitz nodded, "Oh, she definitely will, that's why it has to be perfect. I don't want her vote to be the deciding factor. I want it to make it's way through the House and the Senate without a problem."

Olivia nodded and accepted a fork from Fitz, "I'll go through it tonight."

He beamed at her, "Great. Mark some time on my calendar for tomorrow for us to discuss your notes." He pulled up a barstool opposite her, "And be brutally honest. I think this is important."

Olivia nodded, "It is important." She agreed. "Everyone should have a shot at a collegiate education."

SCANDAL

Olivia chewed on her bottom lip as she spread out the different parts of the Dream Act around her living room floor. She paused when she heard voices outside of her door.

" _She said she wasn't coming."_

" _Then maybe she has plans."_

" _No, she didn't say that."_

" _Well maybe she doesn't want to hang out with you."_

Olivia was up at by the front door, quietly opening up a drawer to pull out a revolver.

" _Or maybe you did something to scare her off. After all, you are an ass."_

Olivia felt relief wash over her. Abby. Abby was on the other side of her front door. When a sharp rap sounded, she quietly put her revolver back in its hiding place and checked through the peephole. Sure enough, Abby and Leo were standing on the other side. Unlocking the door, she yanked it open. "Abby? Leo? What's going on?" She asked quickly.

Abby eyed her up and down, "Go get dressed, you're coming out with us."

"For the record, I tried to tell her this was a bad idea." Leo defended his own presence.

Olivia chuckled, "Sorry, Abby, but I'm actually working on something right now. I don't have time to go out tonight." At Abby's crestfallen face, she made a snap decision, "Do you have plans tomorrow night?"

Abby's blue eyes lit up, "No, we don't. Want to get a drink then?"

Olivia gave a slight nod, "Sure, we'll go straight from work."

Abby beamed at her, "Awesome. See you tomorrow, Olivia."

Leaning against her door, Olivia waved, "Night, Abby. Night, Leo." Closing and locking the door, Olivia turned back to the Dream Act.

SCANDAL

"Well," Fitz paused, "what did you think?"

Olivia set the binder on the coffee table, "It's too broad." She started, "If you want to get this past Langston and all the other Republicans in the Senate and House, you need a set of clear and decisive guidelines. It can't be too open-ended."

Fitz grinned, "Okay, show me where my problem is."

An hour later, while Fitz and Olivia were bot seated on the floor of the Oval, hovering over a part of the act, the door opened. "Well, isn't this interesting?"

Fitz looked up at the voice in the doorway, "Mellie, you're back."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _You know I've been let down a time or two_

* * *

"Mellie." Fitz stood up from his spot on the ground, "You're back."

Melanie Grant, fondly known as Mellie, turned her ice blue eyes onto Olivia. "I am." She noted, "And it looks like some things have changed since I left."

Olivia stood and smoothed down her cream colored dress, "Mrs. Grant," she stepped forward, "I'm Olivia Pope. I'm"

"My new secretary." Fitz cut in. "Cyrus hired her last week."

Mellie's brows raised dramatically, "Ah, I see." She held out her hand, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Ms. Pope. Now tell me, Fitz," Mellie eyed her husband, "why is it that your secretary is on your office floor rather than at her desk."

Fitz narrowed his own steely blue eyes, "We're working on the Dream Act." He offered up no other explanation, "You should go get settled back in. Olivia and I still have quite a bit of work left to do."

Mellie smirked at the young woman, "I'll bet you do." Spinning on her heel, she was out the door, the echo of her heels clacking on the marble floor carrying down the hall.

Fitz scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry about that."

Olivia cleared her throat, "She's right. I should be at my desk." She made a move to leave the office, but Fitz grabbed her wrist lightly.

"Olivia," he paused, his thumb brushing her pulse lightly, "I really need your help on this." With his other hand he motioned to the mess of papers scattered on the floor. "My team has done a fine preliminary job, but a fresh set of overly qualified eyes would really help. You have those eyes. So, as your boss, I'm instructing you to help me figure this out."

Olivia nodded and gently withdrew her wrist, "Of course, Mr. President."

SCANDAL

"So, Olivia," Abby took a sip of her martini and grinned madly at the newest member of the White House staff, "tell us _everything_ there is to know about you."

Olivia swallowed hard, "I feel like a witness sitting before a jury." She joked lightly, looking around the table at Abby, David, Leo, and Tom. Billy would be joining them later.

"Abby makes everyone feel like that. " Leo nudged her lightly, "Don't worry about it."

Abby scowled, "Shut up, Leo." She turned back to Olivia, "I just want to get to know you. You know, there aren't that many women in the West Wing and we've got to stick together."

Taking a sip of her wine, Olivia nodded, "Well, I'm from DC originally. I went to Georgetown. I was working for a law firm in Manhattan, but I wanted a change of pace, so I came back down here on a whim and a friend of mine had heard about the opening at the White House so she got me an interview."

"Uh huh," Abby clicked her tongue against her teeth for a moment before asking, "why'd you want a change of pace?"

" _Abby_!" David shook his head, "Please forgive her. She's a nuisance. And way too involved in other people's lives. She _should_ just focus on her own drama."

"Sorry I'm late," Billy Chambers darted around to the table, "what gossip did I miss?" He asked.

"Nothing of any value. They're not letting me ask the questions _I_ want to ask." She whined.

"Oh, just drink your martini and suck it up like a big boy." Leo rolled his eyes.

"Um, excuse me, but woman here." She pointed to herself.

All three men looked her up and down for a moment, "We know." They replied together.

Olivia bit her lip, "So is this like, normal for you guys?" She asked, a teasing smile in place.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked.

"This comedy act you have going on." Olivia elaborated. When her phone started ringing, she held up a hand, "Hold that thought." Pulling it out of her purse, she answered with her signature, "What?"

" _You didn't honestly think a new phone number would work?"_

Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat before asking, "I'm sorry, but who is this?"

" _That won't work either."_

"I think you have the wrong number." She hung up quickly and picked up her wine, taking a big sip of it.

"Everything okay?" Tom asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Olivia nodded, "Oh yeah, everything's fine." She lied.

SCANDAL

The next morning, Olivia took the subway in the opposite direction of the White House. Stepping off the car, she moved straight to a man sitting with a cup. Crouching down next to him, she murmured, "Huck?"

"Hello, Olivia." He whispered, his voice hoarse and slightly strangled.

"Huck, I need help." She glanced around. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out some cash and a spare key. "Can you meet me at my apartment tonight?"

Huck accepted the key and the cash, "Of course, Olivia."

She nodded, "Just, take a shower before you touch anything." When he nodded, she stood, "See you tonight." She hopped back on the next car that pulled up.

SCANDAL

"I'm telling you, that wasn't a wrong number." Abby took a sip of her coffee, "She was _terrified._ "

Leo shook his head, "I think you're overreacting."

"I think I'm not." Abby shot back.

"I think you have an active imagination and are constantly looking for drama, and you think you found it in the new girl." David quipped.

"What about the new girl?" Cyrus asked, his head popping into the break room kitchen.

"She's scared of something." Abby piped up before the guys could run her over, "Someone called last night while we were out getting drinks and she said it was a wrong number, but it wasn't. She was so scared." When Leo and David were about to protest, she shook her head, "Ask Tom, he was there, he knows I'm right."

Cyrus stepped fully into the room at that, "Do you think someone drove her here? She hasn't been very open about what led her back to DC, specifically to the White House. She could've gotten a job at any law firm in the city, but she _chose_ this. Hell, she had Verna campaign for her to get her an interview. I'd already picked out a new hire when Verna called me."

"Wait," David held up his hand, "Verna Thornton? The Supreme Court Justice? She's the friend of Olivia's that told her about the job opening and got her in?" Cyrus nodded. "Okay, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think Abby's right. There's more to Olivia Pope than meets the eye."

SCANDAL

"What the hell do you mean she's more than just a secretary?" Mellie screeched. "She answers your phone, handles your schedule and types up your notes for speeches. What else is there for her to do?"

Fitz rolled his eyes, "You're being ridiculous." She sent him a withering glare at that statement, "Besides, if you just look at her resume, you'll realize that she's overqualified for this job. She's got a law degree. She worked at one of the most prestigious law firms in the _country_. If she wants to work here as a secretary, you damn well better be sure I'm going to use her talents for more than just filing papers."

Mellie's mouth dropped open, "You're screwing her, aren't you?"

Narrowing his gaze, Fitz stepped forward, "No, I'm not. Unlike you, I've never been unfaithful."

Spinning around, he stormed towards the door of their bedroom, "Where the hell do you think you're going?" She screamed.

"To sleep in a different bedroom." He slammed the door shut behind him.

SCANDAL

Olivia wrapped her hands around the tall glass of wine, "I need you to tack someone for me." She murmured.

Huck frowned, "What's going on, Liv?"

Olivia held out her cell phone, "Someone keeps calling me. I think," she took a breath, "I think it's the same someone who hurt Edison." She took a sip of her wine, "I need you to find out who he is and what he wants from me."

Huck nodded, "You got it, Liv."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

 _ **AN: I am absolutely floored at the response to the story. You guys are all so sweet. Seriously, thank you so much. I honestly didn't think I had much of a story going into this, and everyone has just been so supportive and kind. Thank you for reading and thank you even more to those of you who take the time to review. It makes me smile every time I read one. So thank you! Enjoy the next chapter! Things are about to start heating up on all fronts now! ~ XOXO MAS**_

* * *

 _I was all but lost, I was nowhere bound_

* * *

"I'm sorry, but the President is in an important meeting right now."

Mellie Grant turned on her heel away from the door that led to the Oval Office and towards her husband's new secretary, "I'm sorry, Ms. Pope, but let me explain to you how things work around here. You're new, so you don't know, but I'd be happy to help teach you."

Olivia arched a dark brow, "Please then, Mrs. Grant, teach me."

Mellie took a step forward, "That man may be the President of the United States, but he is also my husband and if I want to speak to my husband, I damn sure will." She smiled, "So, if you'll excuse me"

She moved to step towards the door, so this time Olivia stood up, "Mrs. Grant," Mellie paused and turned her head over her shoulder, "he's in an important meeting right now, he's not available."

Mellie's face turned a light shade of red, "He's always available to me."

"Is this an emergency?" Olivia asked.

"Excuse me?" Mellie asked archly.

"Is this a life threatening emergency? Are you ill? Are your children hurt? Has Iraq launched nuclear weapons in our backyard and do you happen to be the only one who knows about it?" Olivia prattled off, "If the answer is yes to any of those three questions, I would be happy to interrupt the President's meeting, if not, then it will have to wait."

"You do not tell me to wait." Mellie snapped, "I am the First Lady of the United States, you answer to me."

Olivia shook her head, "No, ma'am, I answer to the President."

When Cyrus rounded the corner, talking rapidly to Billy, both women stopped. "He's still in there, right, Olivia?" Cyrus asked absently.

"Yes, and he's waiting for the two of you." Olivia confirmed.

"If they get to go in, then so do I." Mellie stepped forward.

"Mrs. Grant," Olivia stepped around her desk and Cyrus paused in the doorway, sending Billy in, but waiting to see how Olivia would handle herself, "the answer is still no. This meeting does not concern you. And, furthermore, the President has not asked for you. Now, you can come back later and see if he's available or I can have someone find you once he is, but for the moment, the President is occupied doing his job. He's keeping America safe. So, if you'll please come back later when"

"I will not come back later. You do not give me orders." Mellie snapped.

"Enough!" Cyrus stepped in, "Mellie, he's busy. Olivia is right, you're going to have to come back later." He wrapped his hand around her bicep, "Now, go."

Mellie let out an indignant huff before storming down the hall. Olivia turned to Cyrus, "Thank you, I know you have more important things to do than deal with her."

He waved his hand, "It's fine, Mellie's like a pit bull sometimes." He shrugged, "You handled her well, though." He commended her, "And you did good, he's busy right now and can't be bothered."

Olivia smiled, "I know, now I believe he needs you in there. Go help make America safe." She waved him off, motioning for him to head into his meeting while she went back to sit behind her desk.

SCANDAL

Billy grinned at Abby and Leo, "I'm telling you, she took a strip off of Mellie. She was like a dog with a bone, relentless, wouldn't let the woman into the Oval."

"And Mellie actually left?" Abby asked with wide eyes.

"Well, Cy stepped in, but I think Olivia would've physically removed her if she hadn't." Billy shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. "It was a sight to see. One that is all too rare around here."

"No shit," Leo snorted, "everyone seems to be afraid of that woman."

"You're one of them." Abby pointed out, "I've seen you cower at just her shadow before." She mocked.

"Hey, she's a regular ball buster if I've ever seen one." Leo snapped back.

SCANDAL

Slipping into her blazer, Olivia reached into the locked drawer of her desk to grab her purse, "Olivia, can you come in before you go?" Fitz's voice echoed through the open doors of the Oval Office.

Shouldering her bag, Olivia stepped into the office, "Yes, Mr. President?"

"Come on in and shut the door." He stood from behind his desk and stretched, moving around it, he leaned back, "I just wanted to say thank you."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, "Thank you? For what?"

He chuckled, "My wife," Olivia couldn't help but note the sour tone in his voice as he said that, "is a lot to handle and feels very entitled at times." He paused, "And she doesn't treat people who don't give her what she wants well." Scratching the back of his head, he looked up at her, "Anyhow, today, as you know, I was in important meetings about the issues in East Sudan and I didn't have time to deal with her drama. Thank you for standing your ground. Cy said you handled her magnificently. That's something I need out there. I need someone who has my back."

Olivia shrugged, "Just doing my job, Mr. President. You should know, though, it was Cyrus who got rid of her. I'll admit that I was a step away from forcibly removing her myself or finding an agent to do that, but Cyrus got her to leave. He deserves the credit."

Fitz shook his head, "I think you don't give yourself enough credit." He admitted. Shrugging, he grinned, "Still, thank you, Olivia."

They stood there for a moment, just staring at each other, not saying a word. After a minute of silence, Olivia bowed her head, "I should be going. Have a good night, Mr. President."

"You too, Olivia." Fitz called out as she shut the door behind her.

SCANDAL

Huck handed Olivia a file, "So this is what I dug up on the person who's calling you. He doesn't appear to be anyone important." He tugged at the sleeves of his hoodie, "Just some goon who has no connection directly to you."

Olivia looked at the picture in the file. The man was reasonably attractive. "Who is he?"

"His name is Jake Ballard." Huck squirmed slightly in his chair, "He's former military."

"What's he doing now?" Olivia asked, "And how did he find me?"

"That's what I'm looking into." Huck nodded, "I'll have more for you tomorrow."

Olivia smiled softly, "Thank you, Huck." She glanced at the clock on the wall, "What do you say we go out and eat. I'm actually hungry tonight."

He nodded, "Sure, Liv, let me just grab my shoes."

SCANDAL

" _She's back in DC. Good job."_

Jake watched from the inside of the parking garage in her building as Olivia climbed back into her SUV with another man, "Was easy enough. Do I let her go now or"

" _Keep on her. I want to know what she's doing. Everything about her life."_

"You got it, boss."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _You came around and turned my world around_

* * *

Jake snapped a few quick pictures of Olivia running up the Lincoln Memorial. He wasn't stupid enough to question Command, but he wondered why in the world Olivia Pope needed to be surveilled. The woman wasn't a threat to anyone. She was just another lawyer in a sea of attorneys in DC. It was interesting that she'd given up all the work she did to earn that law degree to work as a secretary for the White House. Not to mention the fact that she'd carved out quite a reputation for herself as a top flight attorney in Manhattan. White House or not, she'd definitely taken a step down professionally, not to mention a pretty significant cut in her pay grade. It made Jake squirm slightly. She fled shortly after Senator Edison Davis had been hurt in that explosion. And fled was an accurate description of what she'd done. Once she was sure Davis had been taken care of medically, she'd barely taken the time to pack an overnight bag before she was on a plane down to DC. She'd left it all behind. Shaking his head, he pushed the thoughts away. He wasn't paid to think like that.

He raised his camera and snapped a few more photos.

SCANDAL

Olivia stacked one more thick file on the large pile. Very carefully, she lifted them all. She could just see over them. Taking a tentative step forward, she made her way slowly down to the room that housed the White House reporters. James Novak, a junior reporter who had been short-listed for a Pulitzer the year before, asked for some files that had been in Fitz's office on the mess in the Middle East.

When she rounded a corner she hit something hard and she and the files scattered to the floor. "Ow." She murmured, as her head hit the tile floor. Raising herself up to a seated position, she rubbed her head, "Sorry." She apologized, looking around at the mess she'd created. "I could barely see over the stack. I guess I was a little overly ambitious." She admitted.

A deep chuckle sounded across from her and her eyes landed on the President, who was still sprawled out on the floor, "Well, the floor is clean, so we know the cleaning crew does their job well." He joked, rising up on his elbows. "You okay, Olivia?"

Her eyes were wide, "Mr. President, I am _so_ sorry."

He waved her off and moved to his knees to start to collect the files, "I was reading rather than paying attention." He admitted. He moved his one small file away from hers, "Let me help you get these to James." He offered.

She shook her head, "No, I've got it. Really." She smiled assuredly.

He chuckled again, "No offense, Olivia, but I think you're a hazard if you can barely see over the stack. Let me help, I insist." He collected most of the files, leaving only a couple for Olivia.

"I can handle a job as simple as this, you know." She snapped.

He rolled his eyes, "I'm aware that you can handle anything, but that doesn't mean that I'm not a gentlemen deep down at heart." At her slightly skeptical look, he grinned, "And yes, they do make those on the West Coast, even in the Grant family." He teased.

She sighed in resignation, pulling the few files he'd left behind towards her, "Thank you, Mr. President."

He cringed, "I'm not sure I like the way that sounds coming off your lips." He admitted quietly.

Her eyes widened, "Mr. President," she paused, "please don't finish that thought."

He studied her intensely for a moment, "Very well." He took one more step closer, "That doesn't mean I won't think it." He promised her, his voice deep and low and husky.

She shivered slightly at his words and close proximity. Inwardly, he grinned; it appeared he affected her just as much as she affected him, "We should get these to James." She murmured softly, continuing her walk towards James's desk.

Just as Fitz left her to jot a note to an absent James, the young reporter appeared. "Liv! Thank you so much for getting these for me. Poor Abby is just getting decimated up there. I told her I'd do some more research on my own, maybe I can help her spin the Middle East positively." At Olivia's skeptical look, he chuckled, "Yeah, I know, it's an impossibility, doesn't mean I can't try to help, though."

She shrugged, "No problem." She liked James. So far he was the person she connected with the most on the staff. Well, him and Cyrus. Cyrus may be considered a cantankerous, old man, but she understood him. And when the three of them were together she could swear there was a spark of chemistry between Cyrus and James. Plus, they didn't ask her too many questions about her past. The last thing she wanted to do was explain her parents, her childhood, or her recent past in New York with Edison.

James looked up from the file he'd picked up to go through. Olivia was chewing on her bottom lip, looking pensive, like she wanted to say more, but didn't know how, or, more likely in this place, if she should, "Liv, is everything alright?"

Her eyes snapped to James's. She swallowed hard. "Can you look into something for me? Off the record, something you don't share with the rest of the staff." She asked quietly.

He set the file down, "By rest of the staff, I'm assuming you mean Abby." At her slight nod, that was still quite uncertain, he grinned widely at her, hoping to disarm her for once, "Why don't we go get some tea. The break room should be empty. You can tell me about it."

After a moment, she nodded. "That would be nice."

Ten minutes later, they were seated in the kitchen of the break room at the bar top, sipping on tea. "Okay, tell me about it." James requested softly.

She stared at the dark tea in her mug, she didn't like the kind James had chosen. She'd thought about asking Huck to look into this, but she was nervous enough with him researching Jake Ballard. Even before he handed her his latest find this morning she knew. She knew he was B-613 and she knew he was connected to _him_. It was like all the pieces she'd collected from the past few months were finally falling into place. And she didn't like what it was all adding up to, not one bit. She was terrified Huck could get too close to something again. The last time he had, he'd gone missing for 48 hours. That had been years ago, though, before she moved to New York to be with Edison. James should be well protected, working in the White House. It would be noticed if he got hurt or went missing. And he had friends in the Secret Service. She ran a hand through her hair, "Can you look into an explosion?"

James's eyes widened, he wasn't quite sure what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't that, "An explosion?" He asked, "Olivia, what's going on?"

She leaned forward, "Three months ago, my boyfriend was hurt in an explosion." She paused, "Well, my ex-boyfriend. I want to know what caused it. Who caused it, more specifically. And I'm not sure if it's safe or dangerous to be asking these kinds of questions, so you can say no and"

"Yes." James answered, taking a sip of his tea, "Liv, of course I'll look into it. And I'm not worried about a little bit of danger. If I were, I definitely took the wrong job. Reporting, real reporting, isn't always safe. It's not supposed to be. There are too many bad people with dangerous toys. It's my job to report it. So, yes, I'll find out what I can. Who was your boyfriend and where was this?"

"Senator Edison Davis. It was in Albany. Just outside of Albany, at an event in the countryside." She answered.

James stood up, "You can count on me, Liv. I've got this. Now," he took her empty mug and walked it over to the sink with his, "you just focus on whatever the President needs you to do." He ordered. "I'm all good here. I remember that. I actually dug up a little bit so Ab could address it at the press conference following it." He paused, "How is Edison doing?" He asked.

Olivia shrugged, "I'm honestly not sure. I haven't contacted him. I mean, he was doing fine when I left, but I haven't talked to him in a couple of weeks." She admitted.

He patted her arm, "Go to work." He paused, "Oh, and for the record, I heard what you did to Mellie. Good job. Someone needs to put her in her place. We're personally all praying the President does and kicks her out of the White House once and for all."

Olivia chuckled at that, "I doubt that will happen any time soon. She's his wife."

"Divorces happen all the time." James walked out, "Particularly when one of the parties involved is bat shit crazy and the other happens to meet a smart, sophisticated and nice woman."

Olivia's eyes were wide and focused on the door as it swung shut behind James. "Well, shit." She muttered.

SCANDAL

Olivia answered the President's line, expecting it to be a call from the Surgeon General over the new healthcare initiatives. "What?" She asked, her eyes wide at the news. She hung up and stumbled into the Oval without knocking, "Mr. President?" Her eyes were wide.

He looked up, "Is the Surgeon General on the line?" He asked absently.

"Mr. President." She repeated.

He finally focused on her, "What happened?" He asked quickly.

"A plane crash. Senator Martinez was on the passenger manifest." She murmured.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _You've been patient, you've been honest, you asked for nothing, but a hand to hold_

* * *

Fitz paced the Oval, "Well, do we have any updates?"

Abby, Leo, Cyrus, Billy and David were seated in the Oval watching him move around like a caged animal. "So far, no. The airline has made a statement, it's just what we'd expect, though. Their people found nothing on the plane. They're not ruling it a mechanical failure." Leo glanced down at his notes, "The Pilot's Association is scheduled to speak later today."

"Sir," Cyrus stood up, "if I may, I think there is an opportunity in all of this."

"Opportunity?" Abby screeched, "What I need is not an opportunity, but details to tell the press. They're chomping at the bit and we've waited far too long as it is."

"If Cyrus thinks there's something we need to consider, then you definitely want to know about it _before_ you go in front of the press." Billy defended Cyrus. "What opportunity do you think we have?"

"The Dream Act." Cyrus explained, "Martinez was a huge proponent of it and it would be a great way to honor him."

"It's genius." Leo grinned, "I like it, we should run with it."

David shook his head, "It's tacky. Now, I'm getting the details from the airline in less than an hour. I'll be finding out if there's a lawsuit pending so you'll have everything you need to go in front of the press, Abs. We'll make sure it was either the pilot's fault or an accident, that there was no foul play."

"We'd look like opportunistic jerks." Billy agreed. "Plus, the VP won't"

Fitz stopped pacing and stalked to the door, throwing it open, "Olivia?"

Olivia looked up from her desk. She was typing out the messages from various politicians and officials, "Yes?" Her brown eyes were wide and she looked slightly harassed.

"Could you come in, please? You can just stop whatever you're doing. This is more important." He waved her into the Oval. "Have a seat." He motioned to a spare chair.

Olivia nodded to the others in the room and took a seat, "What can I do for you?" She asked, looking up at him, tugging at her black skirt.

He was struck for a moment, by just how beautiful she was with her big brown eyes that were lightly lined, her full lips, her high cheekbones defined by blush, but she looked nervous, unsure, like she was constantly waiting for something bad to happen. Shaking his head, he put her back in her proverbial box, "Senator Martinez is dead." He stated blandly, something she already knew, of course. "We're still gathering information about the crash, the investigation is underway. Abby and I will both have to speak about it. Abby about the crash, myself about Martinez."

Olivia nodded, her face the picture of consternation, "Of course."

"Martinez and I have been working on The Dream Act" Fitz began "and"

"And you want to know how it will look if you try to push for it in the wake of his death and a plane crash involving so many American citizens." Olivia finished.

Fitz grinned at her, "Exactly." She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, her mind spinning. Leo moved to interrupt her, but Fitz held up his hand, "Let her think."

It took another full minute before she finally nodded, "It's doable, you'd just have to be very careful. You can't bulldoze your way through it." She stated slowly, "If you go in guns blazing, you're going to look hard and uncaring and you'll lose votes for The Dream Act."

"So you're saying we shouldn't proceed." Fitz surmised.

"No, I didn't say that," she shook her head, "it's just all going to be in the delivery."

"We'll get on it." Cyrus stood up, "Thank you, Olivia, that will be all." He waved her off.

Olivia stared at him and then at Fitz, she stood quickly, "You're welcome."

"No," Olivia stopped and turned at Fitz's voice, "Abby, you and Leo go draft a speech for Abby to give to the press. Cyrus, I want you to try to come up with something for me to say to honor Martinez. Sally should also make a statement, Billy. David, get me everything that is going on with the investigation." He turned back to Olivia, "Olivia and I are going to discuss the best way to introduce The Dream Act."

Cyrus balked at that, "You and, you and" he shook his head, "no, not you and Olivia, you and me."

Fitz turned on his heel, "No, Olivia and I will discuss this, you will help me draft my speech. And that is an order. Now you all have orders, I suggest you get to work." Olivia sat back down at his orders.

When the Oval was empty, save for Fitz and Olivia, she stared up at him, "Mr. President, I'm not sure what you expect me to do. This really is a job for Cyrus."

Fitz shook his head, jerking off his tie and rolling up his sleeves, "No, you've got a better head on your shoulders than Cyrus does, and I need that head right now." He sat down on the neighboring chair, "How would you do this?" He asked.

She nodded and stood, she paced in circles as she thought and Fitz watched silently, aware that this was her process. "In your speech." She decided.

"In my speech?" He echoed.

She didn't stop pacing, "In your speech, you say you want to honor Senator Martinez. It was his dream, his wish, to pass The Dream Act." She continued with a nod, "That's your announcement. You don't let any other senators or congressmen or members of the media, no one, you don't let them hear about this. You announce it. After you share a funny story about Martinez."

Fitz picked up a pad of paper from the coffee table and jotted down some notes, "So I just say something along the lines of, 'It was Senator Martinez's wish to pass The Dream Act. As a way of honoring him, I am requesting that the Congress revisit the act.'?" He asked.

She nodded, "Yes." She stopped pacing and spun to face him, "Is the act passable?"

"What?" He asked.

"The act, are there any holes in it that need to be addressed? Or did we fix everything?" She clarified. "We may want to take one last gander at it, make sure that there's nothing for them to really tear apart. It needs to hold up under a microscope." She cocked her head to the side, "Although, with Senator Martinez's death, that should be enough of a distraction."

Fitz nodded, "It's good. I need to let Cyrus know." He stood up, "Thank you, Olivia. Once I have a speech, I'd like you to look it over."

She nodded, stopping at the door. She propped it open with her foot and leaned against it, "You know, I don't really have any experience with this stuff."

He was already leaning over his desk, jotting down notes. Looking up, he grinned, "I know, Olivia. Experience doesn't mean you're good at a job, though. Some of it's about a gut feeling. Having the natural instincts. You have a pull in your gut, don't you?" He asked, "When I give you something like this, something more than just notes to type up and a schedule to keep."

She studied him for a moment, "A gut instinct." She repeated slowly. After a moment, she nodded, "I suppose so."

"That gut instinct you have," his head fell to the side, "it's good. It's better than good. You're the best I've ever seen and I haven't even thrown you anything big yet." He straightened, "I have the gut instinct. It's never wrong. I know that because I've ignored it in the past and I regret it. Somethings I've regretted for quite some time, and if I'd have listened to my gut, I wouldn't regret it now." He shoved his hands in his pockets and took a step forward. "Though, if I hadn't made those decisions, I guess I wouldn't be here." He studied, "Trust your gut, Olivia. Always, trust your gut."

She smiled softly at him, "Promise, Mr. President." She bit her lip and turned, letting the door shut with a quiet thump behind her.

SCANDAL

Olivia shook her head as she entered the Oval with his edited speech in hand, "So I made a few tweaks to what Cyrus came up with for you on Martinez, nothing major, but no, you're not wearing that. This will be televised." She motioned to his shirt and tie.

He looked down, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" He took the notecards from her and skimmed through her hand-written changes. "I've already typed it up, I just thought you might want to review my changes."

"These are great and, what are you doing?" he looked down at her hands as she tugged at his tie. She didn't respond, "Olivia?"

She yanked his tie off, "You can't wear this tie on national television to give an obituary, essentially." She muttered, "It's distracting and loud and disrespectful."

She moved back into the hallway, "Hey, Leo!" She called out. "Get in here!"

A moment later, Leo was standing in the doorway, "What's up?"

Olivia turned back to Fitz, lifting up his collar, "Give me your tie." She ordered.

"What?" Leo asked.

She rolled her eyes, "Your tie, give it to me right now." She snapped, "Don't make me repeat myself." She threatened.

A moment later, Leo's dark blue tie was in her hand, "Ripping ties off people like they're nothing." He muttered, "Bossy, that's what you are, Pope."

Olivia's eyes twinkled with mirth as they connected with Fitz's blue ones, "She is bossy." Fitz agreed with a grin.

"You two are whiney." She chirped, adjusting and tying Leo's tie around Fitz's neck. She patted his chest lightly, "Now, review your speech and go get those votes." She stepped back as the door opened again.

"Why am I just hearing that you're going to pitch The Dream Act now?" A voice asked sharply.

Olivia moved behind Leo, trying to make herself invisible. Mellie Grant seemed to have it out for her and Olivia wasn't looking for any trouble. Fitz drew her fire, "I'm simply attempting to honor Senator Martinez."

Leo latched onto Olivia's elbow, guiding her quietly out of the door of the Oval. She sighed and leaned against her desk, "Thank you."

"The Iron Maiden does not like you. At all." Leo rocked on his heels, "I don't know what you did, but she's threatened by you for sure."

Olivia picked up her bottle of water, unscrewed the cap and took a sip, "I have no idea. I really haven't had much time to talk to her. Well, other than not letting her into his office when he was in that meeting with the chiefs."

Leo chuckled, "That was probably it. She's not used to being told 'no' by anyone." He punched her arm lightly, "You're her worst nightmare." He chuckled as he spun and walked off, leaving Olivia to shake her head.

SCANDAL

Olivia was doing a final read-through of The Dream Act when two hands planted themselves on her desk. "You think you're so clever, getting close to him. He's _married_."

Olivia capped her highlighter and slipped her reading glasses off her face, "Mrs. Grant, what are you talking about?" She asked tiredly. Her eyes were exhausted trying to get through this draft with enough time for it to be re-typed to go in front of Congress.

"You're trying to seduce my husband." She accused.

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Mrs. Grant, I'm not trying to do anything, but my job. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more editing to do." She put her glassed back on and looked back down at the bill in front of her. Mellie Grant didn't move and Olivia refused to look up at her. She continued to work, ignoring the First Lady's presence. After another minute, Mellie let out an undignified huff and stalked off.

Leo let out a whistle from around the corner, "That was quite impressive." He clapped.

Olivia looked up, "Why is it I keep getting interrupted?" She asked tiredly.

"I'm just impressed that you got rid of her." He shook his head, "Anyhow, I was wondering if"

"Don't, Leo." Olivia held up her hands, "Don't finish that thought. I don't date."

He frowned, "You don't date." He repeated.

"I don't date. Besides, aren't you and Abby"

He waved a hand, "Abby and I have fun. Abby is fun. We're both just enjoying life." He winked, "So if you ever want to enjoy life, just let me know." He was down the hallway the next moment.

Turning back to the act, Olivia made a small mark, "Olivia!"

"Oh, for the love of, what is it now?" Olivia slammed her highlighter on the desk.

James came to a stop in front of her, "I think I've got something." He was waving a few pieces of paper in front of her.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

 ** _AN: This was supposed to go up yesterday afternoon... womp womp... Anyhow, you guys are incredible. I hope you're ready for some major drama to start up now! Enjoy! ~ XOXO MAS_**

* * *

 _You've been fearless when you whisper a simple promise worth it's weight in gold_

* * *

Olivia stared at the name of the small town on the paper James was shoving in front of her face. "Defiance, Ohio?" She scrunched up her nose. "What does Defiance, Ohio have to do with an explosion in New York?"

James shook his head and pulled up a chair, dragging it around so he could sit next to Olivia, "It's more than just a town." He promised her, opening the file he'd had tucked under his arm.

Olivia sighed, "James, a Senator is _dead_. The President is trying to lobby a bill. And you want to talk about a small town in Ohio that 99.9% of Americans have never heard of? The only ones who have either currently live there, lived there and left because they were smart, or are related to someone who had done either of the former."

James held up his hand, "Just hear me out, Liv. I think Edison discovered that Defiance was the center of election fraud."

Olivia's eyes narrowed and she was afraid to ask her next question, "For what election?" James didn't answer, he just threw a glance at the Oval Office doorway. Snapping the file shut, she shook her head, "We can't discuss this here." Picking up a sticky note pad, Olivia jotted down her home address. "Come by tonight." She handed him the slip of paper before taking the file and tucking it in her purse in her locked desk drawer.

"James? Olivia?" Fitz's booming voice echoed down the hallway, "What's going on?"

Olivia looked up and attempted a smile, "James just wanted an update." She paused, "Mostly about how you were doing." She admitted.

Fitz smiled, it was small, but it was still a smile, "I'm hanging in there. It's been absolute chaos, but let me tell you, Liv has been a godsend."

James stood and shook Fitz's hand, "I think she always is. We're lucky to have her on our team." He winked down at her.

"Isn't that the truth." Fitz nodded. "Anyhow, do you mind if I borrow her for a minute?"

James shook his head and put the chair back in its proper place, "I'll see you around." He waved to both of them before adjusting his glasses and darting down the hall.

"Come on in." Fitz opened the Oval door and let her enter first. He moved around her, lightly guiding her elbow to the sitting area. "Do you drink scotch?"

She eyed the sidecar with the bottle of scotch and crystal tumblers. "Not usually, but I can always make an exception."

Fitz poured two glasses from the decanter, "Make one tonight for me." He handed it to her and sat down next to her on the sofa, "It's been a hell of a day."

Olivia adjusted her seat to angle herself towards him, "How was your speech?"

He nodded, "I think it went well. The Dream Act will go up for a vote tomorrow morning. First thing." He grinned and tapped his glass to hers. "It was a hell of a job you did."

"You did it, Mr. President." She smiled softly.

"Mr. President." He glared down into his scotch before chuckling and setting it on the table, "For some reason I don't like the way that sounds coming from you."

She sighed softly, "We've discussed this. It's what's appropriate. You're my boss."

"So?" He challenged.

"And you're married." She pointed out.

He let out a grunt, "That's the real kicker, isn't it?"

She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before setting her own glass down, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything." He murmured.

"Do you love her?"

Fitz's eyes moved from the coffee table to Olivia, "Who?"

Her eyes widened at his question. He should know who. "Your wife." She clarified.

He flushed, "Oh, I guess that would make sense." He scrubbed his hand over his face, "Does it make me the worst human being in the world if I say no?"

She chuckled, "You think you're the worst human being in the world? Have you ever committed mass genocide or tortured puppies?" At his look of horror, she shook her head, "No, it doesn't make you the worst human being in the world. It makes you human. Marriages fall apart. It's the way the world works, unfortunately. People fall out of love; stressful situations breaks them up instead of binding them together; they meet someone else who fits better," she hesitated and connected gazes with him, "things happen and people change."

"That's very true." Fitz inched slightly closer to her.

"But you're still married. If you don't want to be married to her, then you have to let it go. You have to let you marriage go." She advised.

"I'm the President. Am I even _allowed_ to get divorced?" He asked in exasperation.

This time, Olivia let out a peal of laughter. It rang around the room, bouncing off the walls and Fitz grinned at her, taking in her tipped back head, "You're the most powerful man in the entire world. If you want a divorce, ask for one. It's going to be public. It could get nasty, but if you think it's more beneficial to you and your children, then just leave her."

His eyes sparkled over at her, "You say it like it's the simplest thing in the world."

She smiled softly at him, "It is if you make it that way. Your ratings will drop. There will be controversy. But divorce isn't a scandal unless there's something bad pushing it forward. Many would say divorce is an inevitability."

"That's very cynical. I can't imagine a man wanting to leave you." He told her honestly.

She shook her head, "You don't know me very well." She pointed out.

His eyes raked over her slowly, "I know enough, Livie."

"Livie." She murmured.

"You don't like it? Too much?" He asked quickly.

Very gently, Olivia moved her hand towards his wrist. It hovered in the air for a moment, uncertain of her own actions, before finally resting it on his wrist, her fingers lightly curling around, "I love it." She murmured. The grandfather clock chimed and she looked back at it. "I have to go. I have a friend coming over tonight." She stood up.

"Cinderella has to leave before midnight?" Fitz asked lightly.

Olivia snorted, "Trust me, I'm no Cinderella."

"You look like a princess to me." He called out as she reached out for the door.

She turned slightly, "I wouldn't leave my shoes behind. I like them too much." His answer chuckle followed her out the door and down to her car. Even with only the brief sip of scotch she'd taken, she felt warm inside. Her blood rushing in her ears and her pulse thrumming pleasantly.

She felt alive.

SCANDAL

She was sipping on a glass of red wine, her hand submerged in a bowl of popcorn with the file on Defiance, Ohio spread out on her coffee table when her doorbell rang. Huck was out with one of his spy friends, she didn't expect to see him again until tomorrow night.

Rising, she wiped her hands on her jeans and opened the door to find James there with take out, "I got a lot of everything. Best Chinese in DC. Promise."

Olivia smiled at him, "Come on in, I was just starting on everything. And I think you're right. Something bad was going on in Defiance in 2008." She led him to the living room, "Let me grab some napkins and plates. What do you want to drink?"

James eyed her glass of wine, "What you're having looks perfect." A few minutes later Olivia was pouring him a glass of wine and settling on the floor with him, their papers and Chinese food scattered across the coffee table. "So, what I think happened in 2008 is that a man named Hollis Doyle used a company based out of New York called Cytron Electronics. Now, I'm still delving into all of this, but they make computer chips."

Olivia interrupted him, "Like the kind used in voting machines? The electronic ones that were _brand new_ in the 2008 election?"

James swallowed a mouthful of noodles, "Exactly like those."

Olivia chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, then finished her glass of wine before pouring a new one and topping James's off, "Who knows?"

James shrugged, "Right now, the only connection I can find is Doyle."

Olivia nodded slowly, "So what does this have to do with Edison?"

"Okay, so this is the best part, the explosion was inside the Cytron building. No one really took note because Senator Davis was there. Cytron's a tech industry, so their security cameras were state of the art in 2008, they still are today. All footage is downloaded to an off site server, meaning that even after the explosion, we can still hack the footage." James scooted forward.

"James," Olivia began slowly, cradling her wine glass against her chest, "do you have the footage."

He held up a thumb drive. "I did print out two stills." He pulled out two pictures and slid them to Olivia. They showed Edison going into the building and Edison coming out of it.

"Edison didn't support Grant in the election. He was firmly behind Reston." Olivia said slowly, "So, he could've been going there because he knew what happened, he knew how Grant got elected and"

"And then someone blew the evidence up." James finished.

Olivia leaned back against the sofa, "That is a lot to take in." She murmured.

James nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think we may need help on this, if we want to to find out everything. I think we may need someone who has done research at this level before. I mean, we're getting into something huge and"

"I know a guy." Olivia cut in. She chewed on her bottom lip, "James, you don't think President Grant knows about this, do you?"

James shook his head, "I want to believe he has no clue this went down. I just don't know, Liv."

She squared her shoulders, "Well then, I think it's time we find out."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _No one ever loved me like you do_

* * *

 _One Week Later_

"He wants a divorce, Cy!" Mellie screeched as she paced her husband's Chief of Staff's office, "A divorce! He's lost his mind. He can't get a divorce and I made a deal with the devil himself to be First Lady, so I damn well better get at least my four years." She cried out.

Cyrus rubbed his hand over his face and took three deep breaths. He was fairly certain he was one crisis in the Sudan away from a heart attack. "Mellie, for my sake, please keep your voice down and breathe."

Mellie turned on her heel and advanced on him, "You have got to be kidding me. It's your fault he wants this damn divorce anyhow!" She accused.

Cyrus's face shifted from pained to amused, "And how is your marriage my fault?"

"Because you hired that little tramp to be his secretary and now he's banging her and realizing that he'd like to have his dick in other places as well." She snapped crudely.

Cyrus pushed himself off of his desk, "Okay, Mellie, here's the thing, Fitz is wildly unhappy _because_ of your marriage, now there's nothing I can do about that. I can't take him on dates or make sweet love to him or recite poetry to him under the moonlight. You're the only one who can do that. He's your husband, if he's unhappy in your marriage, then you're the one who has to fix it." He moved to the door and opened it, "And I highly doubt that Olivia Pope is the problem. She's sharp, and we need as many sharp minds in the West Wing as we can get. Now get out. I have _actual_ problems to deal with." Mellie let out a very undignified shriek before spinning and slamming her way out of his office. "Fuck." Cyrus muttered.

After a few minutes to ensure that Hurricane Mellie had cleared the halls, Cyrus followed her path out the door and down to the Oval Office. He entered without knocking, ignoring Olivia altogether, "Why is it that your wife is in _my_ office telling me that you're demanding a divorce?" His voice was oddly calm for the intense amount of fury he felt bubbling beneath his surface.

Fitz didn't look up from the report he was reading, "I'm not sure why she's telling you that. There's nothing you can do about it. And yes, I've decided I'm going to divorce my wife. That's what you do when you don't love someone anymore, when you don't even _like_ them. I can't stand her and she can't stand me. Our kids don't like to be in the same room as the two of us." He looked up, "So, yes, I'm divorcing my wife. Is that a problem?"

"Is that a problem? Is that? Really? A problem? You don't see it?" Cyrus asked, pacing around. "You're the President of the United States of America." He pointed out.

Fitz looked around, his eyes going comically wide, "Wait, what?"

"What do you mean 'what?'" Cyrus asked impatiently.

"I'm the President of the United States of America? Is that why I'm sitting here? Is that why I'm going over a report on the Sudan instead of playing golf?" He responded glibly.

Cyrus let out a long, loud groan, "You're honestly going to be a smart ass right now?"

Fitz stood up, "Yes, I am." He crossed to the door, "Liv?"

Olivia looked up, her glasses sliding down her nose, "Yes, Mr. President?"

"Can you please call Jeanine and see if she has those predicted poll numbers for me?" He asked.

"Predicted poll numbers." Cyrus followed him outside, "What numbers?"

Fitz leaned against the door, "This morning, Olivia and I met with Jeanine to discuss what the potential outcome could be if I divorced Mellie."

Cyrus stared between Fitz and Olivia, "You met with Olivia and Jeanine instead of me?"

"Olivia, why don't you go find Jeanine instead of calling her. I think Cyrus and I need a moment alone." Fitz suggested, waiting as Olivia nodded silently and stood, leaving them alone. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd throw a fit." Fitz crossed his arms, "I thought having the numbers at my disposal might be a good idea. And I walked through it with Olivia because I needed someone who wouldn't jump down my throat to discuss the possible outcomes with me." He paused, "Now, any other questions or can I have my meeting in peace?"

Cyrus let out a frustrated growl before turning and storming down the hallway, nearly running into Olivia and Jeanine in the process. "You ready, Mr. President?" Olivia asked.

Fitz grinned at them, "I think so, Jeanine, how am I going to feel after I see these numbers?"

Jeanine adjusted her glasses and smiled softly, "I think you will be pleased. I think Mrs. Grant won't be no matter how she handles the situation."

Fitz beamed at her, "Excellent, come on in." He paused and studied Olivia, "Do you happen to know a good divorce attorney who can be discreet?"

Olivia bit her lip and nodded, "I do know a very good attorney. He deals with many high profile clients, of course you would be the highest, but he's capable of discretion."

Fitz held out his hand and accepted the poll numbers, "Get me his contact information please. I'd like him brought here."

Nodding, Olivia jotted down the note, "I'll set the appointment up. Tomorrow, barring a national or international crisis?" She asked.

"Perfect." Fitz studied the numbers, "Look at these. I think this could work."

Olivia looked over the numbers. She jotted down some notes, reworked some of the numbers and finally glanced up, "You're right, Mr. President, this can work."

SCANDAL

"Have you heard from Huck?" James asked quietly, once he'd finally cornered Olivia in the break room later that afternoon.

Olivia glanced furtively towards the door, "He's gone through the footage you found. He was really impressed. Anyhow, he's flagged a few people who could be involved. He flew into Defiance this morning. He's going to see if he can find the chip and figure out how it worked."

James took a sip of his tea as someone passed by the door of the break room, "It's all so messed up. I mean I knew DC politics was twisted and back alley, but"

"This is something else entirely." Olivia agreed. "Look we just go slowly and tread carefully. The last thing we want is to get in over our head with someone or some organization that might try to blow us up too." She murmured softly.

James looked like someone had struck him when she said that, "You don't think"

"James," Olivia rested her hand on his forearm, "someone blew up an office building and killed seven people. This is dangerous. It was intentional. They tried to commit treason, or did commit treason and then they got rid of any witnesses." She warned him.

He took a few breaths, "I hadn't thought of that." He admitted.

"Well consider it." Olivia stated bluntly, "Because when I said looking into this could be dangerous, I wasn't kidding." She cleaned off her mug, "I have to go, I have work to do." She set it on the drying rack and left him alone in the break room.

SCANDAL

"You seriously want me to handle the divorce of the President of the United States?" Stephen Finch followed Olivia up to the walk-on gates of the White House.

"Stop sounding so excited. His marriage is over. It's sad." Olivia tutted, "And not so loud. I promised him you can be discreet."

Stephen rolled his eyes, "Of course I can be discreet." She scoffed, "I am a professional after all."

Olivia nodded sharply, stopping at the guard gate to get a walk-on pass from Morris. "Good morning, Morris." Olivia chirped brightly, "How is your wife feeling?"

He smiled brightly at her, "She's feeling much better, thank you." He shook his head, "This last pregnancy has been a bit tougher than the two before."

Olivia turned her head to Stephen, "Morris's wife is expecting their third baby in three months. She's been a little under the weather lately." She paused, "Morris, this is my friend Stephen. He has a meeting in the big house."

Stephen gave her a mockingly offended look, "I do not have a meeting in the big house. I have a big meeting up there." He pointed to the White House.

Morris chuckled and handed him a day pass, "In this part of the world, that is the big house."

Stephen hung the pass around his neck, "Duly noted." He glanced at his watch, "Well, Liv, shall we?"

Olivia nodded, reaching up to press a quick kiss to Morris's cheek. "Don't forget to stop by the break room before you leave. I left something special for your wife, you and your kids."

He shook his head, "You're the best, Liv. And very rare up here. Thank you."

"No problem!" Olivia turned, "I'll see you later." She waved.

Stephen studied her as they climbed the steps to the staff entrance, "You're different." He decided.

Olivia turned her gaze up at him, "What?"

"You're happier here." He commented. "I'm glad. I was getting worried that you were just going to settle." Olivia just gave him a side-eye glare, but didn't respond to his comment. A moment later she was tapping on the door of the Oval Office.

"Come in!" Fitz called out.

Olivia pushed the door open, "Mr. President, this is Stephen Finch."

Fitz stood up from his desk, "Mr. Finch, thank you so much for coming. How are you?"

Stephen cleared his throat, "I'm well, thank you. It's very nice to meet you, Mr. President. It's an honor, actually."

Fitz waved his hand, "We're about to be on a first name basis. You're about to get all up in my personal life. My name Fitz, not Mr. President."

"Well, my name is Stephen."

Olivia smiled at the two of them, "If either of you need anything, Mr. President," she paused, "just holler."

Fitz grinned, "Thank you, Olivia." She shut the door behind them.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

 _ **AN: And so it really begins now! ~ XOXO MAS**_

* * *

 _You know I've been let down a time or two_

* * *

Huck laid down the confirmation slips. "This is what happens when you vote for Reston five times."

Olivia and James both hovered over the five confirmation slips and the one summary page. "Holy shit," James muttered, "they actually rigged it."

"The question is, who is they and does the President know?" Huck said what they were all thinking, what Olivia was actually terrified of. She stood up and began pacing back and forth. "Liv? What's wrong?" Huck asked quickly.

She paused, "I can't believe that he knows about this. There's no way he can know, we have to tell him we can't keep this from him, it's too big. It's too much, it's"

"Okay, stop panicking." James stood and rested his hands on her shoulders, "I agree with you. I don't think the President knows about this. He's an actual good person. There aren't many of them out there, but he is one of them. He wouldn't do something _this_ wrong no matter what the consequences were." He assured her, "But we can't go to him until we know something concrete."

Olivia nearly shrieked as she stepped back and out of his reach, "That is concrete!" She pointed at the slips of paper. "How much more evidence do you need?"

Huck stood now, too, "I don't think that's what James means. He means we need names. We need proof of who was involved and why."

"Mellie." Olivia sputtered out without thinking, "She has to be in on it."

James stared at his feet, "Probably Cyrus, too."

"It makes sense." Olivia continued, "They must've made a deal with Doyle. Isn't he a major donor?"

James nodded, "He was a big donor. Now he's basically a lobbyist. He pushes his way around the West Wing. I always wondered why they put up with him and why he always gets what he wants. This could be why. He orchestrated it."

She started pacing again, this time in circles, "There has to be another person though, someone who could protect them when this, if this, got out."

James shook his head, "No, David wouldn't."

Olivia contemplated that for a moment, "No, you're right, he wouldn't." She agreed, "So, who else benefited from Fitz being in the Oval?" She didn't expect an answer, she just resumed her pacing. She blocked out Huck and James as they shot ideas back and forth between each other. After a moment, she questioned, "Who was his first Supreme Court nominee? Didn't he do that in the first 100 Days?"

Opening his mouth, James snapped it shut after a moment, "Holy crap." He shook his head, "I wondered by Bradley Hargrove was torpedoed like that. I wondered how it got out, especially the juvie record, but it was so Verna could be sworn in."

"Verna?" Huck asked.

Nodding, James continued, "Verna Thornton was a judge Hollis introduced them to during the trail. She was a big time donor and supporter of Grant's. She was his first Justice nomination."

Olivia nodded, "Okay, so Doyle comes in with big money. He brings along a woman with a lot of money who wants to sit on the Bench one day. Grant's down in the polls majorly. They have Sally tacked on, regretfully." She started to paint the picture. "So Doyle comes up with a plan. He wants to rig the election to ensure Grant's in office, but he doesn't want to be alone dangling as the bait above the shark if something goes wrong. He wants protection. So he tells Verna about it. Verna is willing to agree, and she has enough pull politically to hopefully save them if something goes wrong, but the Grant Campaign is still not invested. It's still not enough. They'd throw him and Verna both under the bus. So he looks at the campaign objectively and who has the real control and who really wants him in office. He comes up with Mellie and Cyrus. In exchange for being Chief of Staff and First Lady, he can rig the election, but they're all in this together. It's an all or nothing situation."

"And both Mellie and Cyrus are political animals." James finished, "They'd agree to it if they got what they want."

"It makes perfect sense." Huck agreed.

"Now we just have to prove it." Olivia sighed, "That's going to be a tall order. Chances are there is no connection other than the obvious one people can see."

James leaned forward, "Well, there is one way."

"What's that?" Olivia asked.

"While Huck does all the work on the computers, trying to link everyone together and to the likely pay off that went down and the explosion, we can rock the boat." James motioned between himself and Olivia.

Huck was already shaking his head, "That's too dangerous. If someone hears about this," Huck was still shaking his head, "Liv, Edison was almost killed for being in that building at the wrong time." He gestured to the proof of election fraud, "They probably timed the bomb for when he would be in the building. He was lucky to get out the way he did."

"We can't just sit on our hands, Huck, we have to do something." She stepped forward, "I'm going to go to New York this weekend. I'm going to see Edison and I'm going to find out what he was doing there. He'll tell me. I need to know. I need to know how involved" she stopped speaking and Huck and James both stared at her.

"Olivia," James asked slowly, "are you," he paused, "how do I ask this without sounding like a sexist jerk?" He muttered, "Are you involved with the President?"

She took a steadying breath, "No." She answered honestly, "But we both want to be." The men stared at her, "There's no point in lying to you." She let out a sigh, "He's just and I'm just and we're" she stopped and held up her hands, "Nothing inappropriate has happened or will happen until, and then only if, he gets divorced." She reasoned, "But I can't keep this from him. I won't do it." She argued.

Huck ran a hand over his face, "Fine, but do it quietly and away from cameras." He paused, "We don't want it recorded that we're looking into this. So far, I haven't found any information that connects anyone dangerous to this other than Doyle, but he's in the White House, in the West Wing. That makes me nervous enough."

Olivia nodded, "I will. And thank you. Trust me, he's not involved in this. You're right, James, he's just too good."

SCANDAL

As the end of the work day neared, Olivia paced outside of the Oval Office. She'd been almost avoiding Fitz the entire day. Yes, she wanted to tell him, but she was terrified. It wasn't as if _she_ had done anything wrong and she was certain he hadn't either. It was still a huge bomb to drop, particularly when she didn't have all the facts. She had no proof about Mellie or Cyrus or Verna, and she didn't want to ruin his relationship with any of them. Well, Mellie's was already ruined for other reasons, but Cyrus and Verna could be very good people and she could've jumped to a hugely wrong conclusion. Her gut told her she was right on the money on all counts, though. She just needed proof. She jumped when the door opened, "I could hear you pacing out here." Fitz's voice caused her to turn around slowly, "Are you finally ready to tell me what has you so worried today?" He was leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed.

She bit her lip and nodded, "We can't in there, though."

His eyes narrowed, but he agreed, "Get your coat, we'll go for a walk in the Rose Gardens." He told her.

Fifteen minutes later, Tom and Hal were lagging far enough behind them that they couldn't hear what she was about to say. "What I have to tell you is really bad. And really big. And I don't have all the facts yet, I just have bits and pieces."

Fitz stopped walking and motioned for Hal and Tom to make themselves invisible. Once they were, he rested his hands on her shoulders, "Livie, whatever it is, it's going to be okay."

She sighed and reached into her pocket, bringing out the proof of the rigging from the machine. "These are just copies. The originals are locked away. And photos of it are saved. We also have the chip. They're from a voting machine in Defiance, Ohio."

Fitz studied each of the pictures. It took his brain a moment to catch up with his eyes. When the realization of what he was seeing dawned on him, he asked, "Who did this?"

She tucked her hands in her pockets, "The only person we know was involved was"

"Mellie."

"Doyle."

The finished at the same time. Fitz held up his hands, "Wait, not Mellie, but Hollis Doyle?"

Olivia's eyes were wide, "Why did you assume your wife was involved?"

Fitz stepped closer to her, "Is she?"

"We don't have proof of that, but we think at least one person who is close to you and was very involved in your campaign had to be. That was Hollis's insurance. We also think that Verna may have been involved. She could keep him out of jail if need be." Olivia explained slowly.

Fitz nodded and handed her back the pages, "I don't want anyone to find these. You should destroy the copies or hide them elsewhere. If one of the people involved finds out, they'll either figure out a way to stop your investigation or stop _you_." He warned her.

"Wait, you're not mad?" She asked slowly.

He scoffed, "I'm fucking furious." He ran a hand through his hair, "First, they didn't think I could do this on my own. And secondly, I shouldn't be up there, someone else should." He yelled. He took a breath, "Sorry, I'm not mad at you. There's no point in yelling at you when you didn't do anything wrong." He paused, "How did you find out about this?"

She tucked the pages back in her pocket, "Edison Davis, the Senator, I was seeing him," she paused, "kind of engaged to him, I guess, when he was in an explosion. Next thing I knew, I was getting threatening messages to get away from him or someone would hurt him, so I left New York." She paused, "I asked James to look into the explosion. I didn't think he'd find _this._ "

"Does anyone else other than you and James know?" He asked.

"Just my friend Huck. Neither of them will tell anyone or do anything without your permission." She assured him.

Fitz nodded, "Let me sit on it for twenty-four hours. Maybe I can come up with some names for you. Keep looking, but don't do anything. And don't put yourselves in harms way." He raised a hand and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "I just found you, Livie. I can't lose you already."

Leaning into his touch, she pressed a kiss to his palm, "I'm not going anywhere, but"

"Nothing until I'm officially divorced." He sighed, "You're right of course. Besides, what kind of example would that be for Karen and Jerry?"

She smiled softly, "Not a good one. And we're both better than that. Neither one of us deserves to be in the shadows and hiding. If we are going to try, Fitz, I don't want to hide."

His smile widened and his eyes softened, "I just can't believe you want to be with me."

She chuckled, "I don't know why that's so hard for you to believe." She nudged him with her elbow, "Oh, and whatever we discover, you do deserve that office. You're good at your job. You're wonderful at it. And when your second term rolls around, we'll win it the right way." She promised him.

He stared down at her in awe, "I think you may have been an angel sent down to save me." He admitted.

"We may have stumbled here at the right time to save each other." She murmured back at him as they turned to keep walking.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _I was all but lost, I was nowhere bound_

* * *

"No." Huck shook his head, "Absolutely not, it's too dangerous, Olivia." He followed her around the her apartment. "I thought we'd already discussed this."

Olivia picked up her phone and tucked it into her new purse. "Now what did I do with my wallet?" She asked absently. "What were you saying, oh, no, you don't get to dictate what I can and can't do."

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do." Huck argued, "I'm trying to protect you. It's part of my job."

Rolling her eyes, Olivia finished settling into her new bag, "I don't need protection, Huck. Whoever was bothering me has stopped. They're obviously fine with my life as it is, or dead in a ditch somewhere, so whoever hired Jim"

"Jake." Huck corrected, "His name is Jake Ballard, and he was involved with the same organization I was in."

Olivia dropped her bag, "What?" She asked, spinning to face him.

"Just don't do anything stupid." Huck requested. "And please check in with me."

Swallowing hard, Olivia leaned down and picked up her bag, "Of course." She finally agreed.

When she was in her car a few minutes later, heading towards the White House, she was trying to reason through why someone from _there_ would've wanted her out of New York and away from Edison.

Turning sharply, she picked up her phone and dialed the White House human resource office to call in sick for the day. When she was confirmed out, she shut her phone off and tapped on the screen of her car, turning off the GPS.

 _Upper East Side - Manhattan, New York_

Olivia rocked up and down on the balls of her feet in her heeled boots as she debated whether or not to knock or simply flee before Edison found her outside. The heavy wooden door that led to an apartment where she'd been so happy for so long was in front of her and she didn't want to go inside. Going inside was the scariest thing she'd faced in a while. When Huck managed to track her down he was going to kill her, and then handcuff her to his wrist so that she was under his protection. She needed answers. Fitz needed answers.

And she was hellbent on getting them for him.

Steeling herself, she rapped sharply. The door swung open a few moments later, revealing Edison leaning heavily on a cane. "Olivia?" His voice was raspy as he looked her over.

She tried for a smile and failed miserably, "Hi Edison. We need to talk."

He studied her, "Come in." He finally opened the door all the way, leading her slowly into the living room. When they were both seated, he asked, "So, are you here to finally tell me why you left?"

She chewed on her lip and stared down at her boots, "I have a question and I need you to answer it honestly."

"Of course you do. I answer your question honestly and then you walk out and leave." He surmised.

"It's about Defiance, Ohio and Cytron in the city." She cut in before he could continue.

He leaned back, "You should drop it." He advised. "Whatever it is, Olivia, you need to drop it right now."

She shook her head, "I can't, Edison. I need to know now."

Edison sighed and leaned forward, resting his cane against his chair, he rested his head in hands. "Okay, here's what I know," he paused, "I received a letter, anonymous of course, about voter fraud in Defiance, Ohio." He leaned back, "At first I thought it was nothing, but then I got something else. It was a tape of voicemails between a man named Hollis Doyle and and Jesse Tyler who worked at Cytron. So, I decided that maybe I should look into it. And I did." He sighed, "I gathered enough evidence to realize that Fitzgerald Grant," he spat out the president's name, "did not win by honest means. Maybe he would have won by himself, but he didn't chance it, apparently."

Olivia shook her head, "I don't think he knew about this."

Edison shrugged, "I never could confirm that. I had a few leads that went cold that indicated Mellie Grant, Cyrus Beene and Justice Verna Thornton were involved with Doyle and Tyler. I never got to confirm them."

"Because of the explosion?" She asked quietly.

"That was the final straw. Before I received a couple of messages and a couple of phone calls saying that if I didn't drop this you would get hurt. I didn't believe it until the explosion." He dropped his head. "When you left, I was so heartbroken." He admitted, "But at the same time, relieved you were alright."

Olivia leaned over and rested her hand on his knee, "Edison, after your accident I started getting phone calls that threatened your life if I stayed." She withdrew her hand, "After I was sure you were going to be okay, I packed up everything and left. I stopped getting the calls once I was settled into life in DC."

Edison held up his hands, "Wait, I'm confused, are you saying that someone blew me up because they didn't like us together?" He shook his head, "That makes no sense, Olivia."

"I need you to give me everything you have on Defiance." Olivia stood up, "Now, we're working on this and I will handle it. You just focus on getting better." She told him, her demeanor softening slightly.

He stood up, "I'll do what you say, but I wonder, if you do handle this, does that mean you'll come back to New York?"

Olivia averted her gaze and cleared her throat, "I prefer DC." She finally stated.

"And if I were to move to DC?" He ventured.

"Edison," she hesitated.

"I understand." He turned, "Let me get the files."

SCANDAL

 _Washington, DC_

Olivia dropped a box on her dining room table, "Don't ask and you won't get mad at me."

Huck stared at the box on the table. "You went to see Edison?" He asked, snapping, "I told you not to. Olivia, if you do something this stupid, you will wind up with a target on your back and"

"Just sift through this stuff." She sighed, "I have to get to work." She tugged on her blazer.

Huck sighed, "I'll go through everything, but first I'm taking you to work. You're not going anywhere alone anymore because they probably know you're poking now and that makes me nervous." He grabbed his coat, "Give me your keys."

Olivia sighed, "Fine. James can take me home."

"Nope, it's either me or a Secret Service Agent." Huck bartered, holding her keys hostage. "I don't trust that James knows how to even hold a gun, let alone aim one. And he sure as hell can't protect you if he needs to. So, what will it be, Olivia?"

She scowled, "You're ridiculous, but the best. Let's go." She turned to the drawer.

SCANDAL

Fitz tapped on the edge of Olivia's desk, "Up for a walk?"

She glanced up, her glasses sliding down her face at the sudden movement. "Huh?"

He chuckled and walked behind her desk, picking up her coat from the coat rack, "We're going for a walk."

"Oh," she stood, "sorry, I guess I was immersed in the transcribing." She admitted.

He shook his head and adjusted the collar on her coat, "Come on, I want an update."

They were silent until they reached the Rose Gardens. They meandered slowly, her hand tucked in the crook of his elbow. "I haven't seen Mrs. Grant lately." It had been nearly a week since she last laid into Olivia about her relationship with the President.

"She moved into the Blair House." Fitz murmured.

Olivia arched an eyebrow at him, "You never said anything."

He shrugged, "Well, I was trying to get my ducks in a row." He stopped her, running his hands down her arms to twine their fingers together. "I told you, Livie, I want to do this right. I'm not going to make a move until I'm divorced." He sighed, "That doesn't mean I don't want you. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met. And I don't want any baggage when we try this. I want a clean slate. So, until then, tell me, how goes the research?"

"We have a few leads." She told him honestly, "It looks like Thornton, Cyrus and Mellie might have been involved."

"Anything concrete?" He asked. Olivia shook her head, and Fitz just sighed, "Well, if I can help" she hesitated and he raised a brow, "can I help?"

She grinned, "Well, Huck, James and I were talking, and we think we need a few sets of extra eyes. We're bringing in a friend of mine named Harrison, but one more set may be good. Care to be those eyes? Tomorrow night, barring any national or international incidents? Popcorn and wine for dinner."

He chuckled, "Popcorn and wine?"

She shrugged, "James will probably bring Chinese and Harrison will bring something green."

"I think I'll share with James." Fitz chuckled.

Olivia grinned, "That sounds wonderful to me."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _You came along and turned my world around_

* * *

"What are we doing here?" Mellie snapped as she and Cyrus pushed open the door. She motioned to the two SSAs with her to remain outside. They first poked their heads in the room to see who she was meeting with. They seemed satisfied that it was only the President's Chief of Staff, Hollis Doyle and Supreme Court Justice Verna Thornton.

Hollis Doyle stood up, adjusting his belt buckle as he did so, "Please, Mellie, come have a seat." He disregarded her question completely, motioning to the two empty seats at the round table in his office.

Mellie glared at him, jerking a chair back next to Verna Thornton. Cyrus, thankfully, sat on her other side, putting some much needed space between her and the Texan. "Answer Mellie's question, Doyle. Why are we here?" Cyrus tiredly leaned back in his chair. He felt his blood pressure rising to insurmountable highs just being around Doyle.

Doyle just tipped his chair back slightly, "I thought it might be nice to get the whole Scooby gang back together." He joked.

Verna snorted, "Hollis, we're all busy. And do you have any idea what it took to get Mellie here. So, stop wasting everyone's time and tell us what's going on." She ordered.

"Fine, it seems we have a little problem." Hollis told them, "It appears that your newest employee and one of your reporters is poking around Defiance."

"Don't you dare," Mellie held up her hands, "don't you dare utter that word around me. We are done with it. We buried it. It's over." She moved to push her chair back, "I can't be apart of this anymore. I'm the First Lady now, I can't know about this or"

"I buried it." Doyle corrected. "And no matter what position you hold, you had a vote and you voted yes, so you're stuck here."

"You _thought_ you buried it." Cyrus corrected, drawing Doyle's fire away from Mellie. Doyle growled at him and he rolled his eyes, "Now, what's this about Olivia poking around in it?"

"It appears that her last boyfriend or whatever was caught up in the explosion."

"Murder." Mellie cut in. "It was murder. And you didn't consult with any of us on it. That is all on you."

Hollis shrugged noncommittally, "As I was saying, that senator was nearly blown to bits too. Casualties of war and whatnot." He paused, but none of them responded, "She asked James Novack to look into it and they've found Defiance. Now they're nosing around where they shouldn't be. And it has to stop. So I was thinking, I may handle it. It wouldn't be too great of loss and"

"Dear God, Hollis," Verna protested, "have some respect. The First Lady of the United States is in the room."

Doyle bowed his head shamefully, "My apologies, ma'am, but if I may remind you, I bought you that position." Mellie's ice cold, withering glare met him, "Now, I think you should let me"

"I'll handle it." Cyrus spoke up. "I can handle it and there won't be anymore killing." His voice was low and threatening, "Are we clear."

Doyle's eyes sparkled, "Crystal." He sang out.

SCANDAL

"How did you guys get all of this stuff?" Fitz asked, looking around at the chaotic living room, dining room and kitchen table, "It's just so _much_."

Huck didn't even look up, "It's all organized. It's a timeline. Start there and end there." He pointed from one end to the other.

Olivia rolled her eyes from next to Fitz, "Huck, at least address the President." She muttered.

"Fitz." All eyes turned to him. "While we're here. I'm just Fitz." He requested.

James, who was standing on Olivia's other side holding a to-go bag of Chinese food, stuttered out, "You, you want us, but you're the"

"I'm here to help. My name is Fitz and just because there are SSAs outside, does not mean that I want you to call me by anything other than my God-given name, and that isn't Mr. President." He ranted.

Olivia smiled softly, "Fitz." She repeated his name. She loved the way it sounded on her tongue. She still hadn't gotten over it since she first whispered it. He beamed back at her.

" _Look, I'm supposed to be in there. I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you can't keep me out of there. That is my friend's apartment and she's expecting me. Now, I would love to spend the time discussing my constitutional rights and"_

The entire room looked at the door. "Harrison's here." Huck grumbled.

Olivia chuckled and threw open the door, "It's okay, Tom, this is Harrison Wright. He's supposed to be here."

"We still have to pat him down." Tom informed her.

"Pat me down? Olivia what is going on?" Harrison stood, an apple in one hand and a plastic bag with what looked like a salad in the other, "I don't, whoa," he held out his arms for Tom, but leaned forward, "Olivia, did you know the President of the United States is in your apartment?"

Olivia snorted, "Really? Is that why Secret Service Agents are patting you down as we speak?" She snarked. Harrison glared at her, grunting to the agents before he walked inside. "I'm Harrison Wright, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. President."

Fitz chuckled, "You too, and please, I was just telling them, I'm here to help, call me Fitz."

SCANDAL

An hour and a bottle and half of wine later, Olivia leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes, "This is pointless." She chided desolately.

Fitz shook his head from his spot at the dining room table, "No, it isn't. We've got more than enough on Doyle, Mellie, Cyrus and Verna." He sighed, looking at individual pictures of the four people he trusted most from his campaign, "I just can't believe they didn't think I could win on my own."

Huck's head shot up, "I can find out," he murmured, "at least, I think I can find out who would've actually won the county. It's just a little math."

Fitz stared at the man who'd been broken by the same organization that had wanted to break him. He still wasn't sure why he hadn't been dragged down that particular rabbit hole and into Wonderland. Perhaps the plan all along was for him to be the President? Perhaps they were in on it? "Thank you, Huck. I'd appreciate that."

Harrison swirled around what little wine was left in his glass, "The thing I don't get is that B-613 actually exists."

"Don't say their name." Huck warned, "I've scanned the apartment for bugs and surveillance, but it's better to keep it vague. And they exist alright." He paused.

"I knew Ballard." Fitz offered. Olivia straightened and her eyes opened, "We were friends. In the Navy together. He was there, the one mission I flew for _them_ , the only one, he was there. He was my co-pilot."

"Why would he be looking into me?" Olivia asked quietly.

"You mean, other than Command asked him to?" Fitz offered up.

Olivia leaned forward and poured herself another glass of wine, "My father. Command is my father."

James's mouth fell open, "Seriously? Why didn't"

"I tell you sooner?" She snorted and downed half of the glass, "Because ever since I found out what he did for a living, I haven't seen him. I thought he could be behind the explosion, behind Edison, behind it all."

"There's nothing that connects them to the explosion." Huck continued typing on his laptop. "Not that they'd leave a trail."

"Maybe it's just because I hate Hollis Doyle," James started to offer up, "but I think he's behind the explosion. I think Jesse Tyler did or said something that stepped out of bounds. It made him a loose cannon and that didn't sit well with Doyle."

Olivia chewed on this, "My gut says you're right."

Fitz grinned at her, "We may not have known each other for very long, but I highly doubt your gut can ever be wrong."

Olivia smiled softly at him, "It usually isn't." She sighed and stood, "I think that's enough for one night." She downed the rest of her wine. "We'll pick this up again tomorrow night. We'll try to find the tie between the organization," she gave Huck a meaningful look, "and Defiance, then. At least we have tied down that we know who was originally plotting it."

Fitz shook Huck, Harrison and James's hands, "See you at work tomorrow." He waved to James.

James was beaming as he called out, "Bye, Fitz."

Olivia shook her head and walked him to her door. "Goodnight." She murmured, leaning against the solid oak.

He reached up, brushing her hair back, "Night, Livie." He leaned down and brushed his lips over her forehead. "See you at work tomorrow."

She hummed a response and closed the door. "Okay, he's the coolest president alive." Harrison agreed as she leaned against the door. "And I'm fairly certain he's already in love with you."

Not responding to Harrison's final comment, she glanced at Huck, "Let's get this stuff locked up safely."

SCANDAL

Cyrus drummed his fingers on the countertop in the break room, "Has anyone seen Olivia?"

"I'm right here, Cy." She stood behind him, her mug and a tea bag in hand, "Everything okay?" She asked, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

"We're going out for coffee." He took her mug and tea bag, setting them on the counter. "Go get your coat."

Olivia studied him for a moment. He was nervous. His palms were sweaty. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Her gut plummeted.

He knew.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

 _ **AN: I apologize for the briefness of the chapter, but the next chapter is already in the works! ~ XOXO MAS**_

* * *

 _One kiss, one touch, one look can say so much_

* * *

Olivia was silent as she and Cyrus left White House property and crossed into the park across the street. She knew he was trying to out wait her, to get her to speak first. He wanted her to confess all of her sins, to tell him everything she knew and what she was planning to do with that information.

He was sorely mistaken.

She was Olivia Pope. And Olivia Pope didn't cave to anyone. And she certainly didn't let criminals walk around without some form of consequences. She wore the white hat. She always prided herself on doing the right thing, on making the right decision. She could take a problem that fell in a gray area and twist it around until it was black or white. There was a good decision and a bad decision.

She knew what she was risking by getting involved in Defiance. She also knew it was the right thing to do. It was the good and moral thing to do. And she knew she was protecting the innocent by doing it. She was protecting Fitz. She was protecting Edison. She was protecting Americans from blatant voter fraud.

So she kept her mouth shut and walked stiffly next to Cyrus Beene.

After another five minutes, he let out a groan, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He snapped.

She let her head fall innocently to the side, "Walking." She answered smartly.

He nearly growled and the vein in his forehead nearly popped out, "You can't get involved with this, Liv. It's dangerous. Doyle is a dangerous man and"

"And voter fraud is _treason_." She dropped her voice, "And it's a blatant act of disrespect to the President. He wouldn't have wanted to win like that. He would've voted _no_."

Cyrus rolled his eyes and waved his hand, "That would be why he didn't get a vote." She didn't respond to that, she just gave him a look that had him scoffing, "Look, Olivia, you're new to the political scene, but this is how it works. We needed him to win, so we made it happen."

She shook her head, "I can't believe you're actually justifying this. It's sick and twisted and wrong and I'm not backing down."

He glared at her, stepping in front of her to stop her from moving forward, "Let me be very clear about something," he spoke slowly to her, in that voice that was calm and in control. She could see the control snapping beneath the surface though. "I'm ordering you to drop this." He told her, "If you don't, I will not be able to stop something bad from happening to you. So you will drop this, because if you don't, all hell will break loose and Doyle will wage a war on _you_."

Olivia scoffed, "You honestly think Hollis Doyle scares me?"

Nodding, Cyrus replied, "If you were smart, he would."

"First," Olivia stepped forward into her personal space, "the only person who can fire me is the President. And I'm not going anywhere. So you can plant evidence or start rumors or try to kill me, but my job is secure." Cyrus paled slightly at that, the realization that Fitz was serious about her dawning on him for the first time. "Second of all, I'm not afraid of Doyle because I have a theory that he's not the big dog in charge."

Cyrus did his best to maintain his composure, but Olivia noted the crack, "Oh, and who is?"

Leaning closely to his ear, she whispered, "Command."

Cyrus stepped back like he'd been burned, "How do you know about that? How do you know about B-613?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Did you ever ask Command his name?"

"Rowan." Cyrus stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Rowan _Pope_." Olivia corrected, "Otherwise known as, Eli Pope. The curator of the Smithsonian Museum."

Cyrus stared at her, but didn't respond. Shrugging, Olivia turned and moved back in the direction of the White House. She made it five steps before he was tugging on her arm, "Your father is Command?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, and despite the fact that he's a terrible human being, everything he does is to protect me. So no, I'm not worried about my safety. I believe that by extension, my team should be safe. Now your team, on the other, they may not be so lucky. So I'm only going to ask this once, how did you get involved with B-613?"

Cyrus growled, "That is none of your concern."

"Suit yourself." She continued walking, "Now, I realize that your job might actually be threatening people and bullying people, but I have a job that is actually important. So I need to get back to it."

"You mean you want to get back to Fitz." He corrected.

"My relationship with him is none of your concern." She echoed his own words back at him.

"None of my, none, what, how, are you that much of an idiot?" He snapped.

She snorted, "When you hired me, you thought I was over-qualified. Clearly, I'm not an idiot."

His eyes nearly bugged out of his head, "Getting involved with a married man makes you an idiot. And he's not just any married man, he's the leader of the damned free world!"

A couple next to them stopped their conversation to stare at them, "You may want to take the dramatics down a notch and use your inside voice even though we are outside." She lectured him like he was a disobedient five-year old. And in some respects, he was worse. A five-year old would never come up with a treasonous act to get what he wanted. "I doubt you want people actually _hearing_ about Defiance."

"That is your goal, though, right? Tell the world and have Fitz outed from office?" He snapped at her.

She stopped. "No, that's not my plan. I wouldn't want to hurt Fitz. And he's an incredible president. I'd wager to say that he won _without_ your little less than helpful scheme." She accused. She pulled away from him as they approached the White House gates. She gave Morris a tight smile, and called behind her, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going back to work."

Cyrus took a few deep breaths and pulled out his cell phone. He had to get this under control before Doyle set another bomb off.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _One dream, so right, two hearts are one tonight_

* * *

Cyrus watched as Olivia strutted past Morris, a smile on her lips, and straight onto the White House grounds. Rubbing his chest at the pain, he pulled his cell phone out and dialed a number. "We have a problem."

" _What kind of problem?"_

"The kind that can't just be terminated."

 _There was a deep sigh, "I will meet you on the bench in fifteen minutes. This better be an actual problem."_

"Trust me, it is." Cyrus hung up and turned back to the park, trying to remember to breathe in and out as he did so.

He paced in front of the bench for fifteen minutes until a voice called out behind him, "Mr. Beene, what is so urgent that I have to be here to handle your problems?"

Cyrus spun, "Your daughter works in the White House."

Rowan Pope rolled his eyes and sat down, "Yes, I'm aware. I wanted her out of New York and away from the mess that Doyle created up there. I didn't think she'd wind up at the White House, the center of all evil, but it seems it is a safer place for her."

Cyrus growled, "She's looking into Defiance." He warned the man.

Rowan Pope, otherwise known as Command, the head of B-613, leaned forward, "Excuse me?"

"I said she's looking into Defiance. She knows what happened, I'd wager to say she already has all the proof she needs and the President also knows, since she's admitted to knowing everything."

Rowan glared, "Your job was to keep your players in line. That included White House staff. How did this get out?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm looking into it." Cyrus admitted.

"Let me be very clear on something," Rowan stood up, towering over the chief of staff, "you will find the leak and you will take care of it. You will leave Olivia out of it. She's my daughter, and as such is my responsibility. You should remind Hollis that if she gets hurt, the full weight of B-613 will be directed at you, and that does include the First Lady and the Supreme Court Justice. I will protect the Republic, and while it was necessary for a Grant to be in office, it is not necessary at the cost of B-613. Do I make myself clear?"

Cyrus swallowed audibly, his adam's apple bobbing in the process, "You're clear."

Rowan nodded, slapping Cyrus on the back, "Be seeing you, Mr. Beene." He nodded to two joggers who paused to smile at him before stalking off in the opposite direction.

SCANDAL

"Go home, Olivia. Honestly, you've had a long day, and I have some things I need to take care of tonight." Fitz murmured as she leaned in the doorway of the Oval Office.

"Fitz, if you're here then, I'm here. That's how this whole West Wing job thing works." She protested.

He shook his head with a chuckle, "And as your boss, I'm saying that I overwork you and everyone else on the staff as is. I'm trying to cut back. Now go home."

She sighed and shrugged into her coat moving to leave, he turned to walk back into his office, "Twenty-three." She told him, pausing in the hallway.

He turned back to her, his eyebrow cocked, "Twenty-three?" He echoed.

"That's how many people have to stay late when you stay late. Twenty-three. And that's if it's just you and there's not a national crisis that keeps me and Cyrus and lord knows who else here. Twenty-three people who can't go home because you are here." She informed him, "So, is it really important? Because if it's really important, then maybe I can help so those twenty-three people don't have to stay quite as late."

His answering smile was soft. She knew how many people stayed late when he did. She knew how many people he kept here when he didn't want to face going up to the Residence to sleep besides Mellie. She knew and she cared. She cared about him, she cared about the staff, she just cared about people. She was just so. . . Good. He glanced behind him and up at the ceiling, grinning as an idea hit him, "Come here." He held out his hand, gesturing for her to follow him.

She did, unquestioningly, until she was leaning against the window on the back wall. "What?" She asked quietly.

He motioned up, "No cameras on this wall." He mouthed before pressing a finger to his lips to indicate she should be quiet. Her brow furrowed until she realized he was leaning down. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips landed softly on hers. It was slow and light at first and she clutched at his biceps to hold herself up right, a soft sigh escaping her lips. He took that opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers, slowly at first, until he spun her to press her against the wall.

Her hands rose to clutch at his hair, tugging on the silky strands as she tried to pull him closer, to mold her body into his. His lips finally broke from hers and she sucked in a breath as his mouth trailed down her cheek to her neck, teeth lightly nipping at the long column before he moved up to her ear, "Goodnight, Olivia." He murmured softly.

She sighed and leaned back, he looked as wrecked as she felt. She raised a hand to her kiss-bruised lips, "Goodnight, Fitz." She whispered. He let her go, watching as she smiled once more at him before shutting the door to his office behind her.

He was alone for five minutes when a knock sounded, "Come in." He called out.

A moment later, Jake Ballard stood in front of him, "Mr. President." Jake saluted.

Fitz chuckled, returning the salute before moving to cross the room to embrace the man, "How are you, Jake?"

Jake laughed, returning the hug, "I'm alright, what's going on?"

Fitz led him over to the sitting area, "I need to talk to you about something that's been brought to my attention. I wasn't sure if you were the right person to go to, but I need someone I can trust."

Jake nodded and sat down, accepting the glass of scotch from Fitz, "What can I help with?"

"What do you know about Defiance?" He asked.

Jake's brow furrowed and he thought for a moment, "Wasn't it the town that won you the election?" He asked after a moment.

Fitz leaned back, "That's what I'm told, but what can you tell me about the operation?"

Fitz watched as Jake's face contorted in concentration. His mind was easily replaying over conversations and bits and pieces he'd heard, "You don't mean a military operation, do you?"

Fitz shook his head, "No, I don't."

"We can't talk about this here, Mr. President." Jake warned him. "I don't know enough to really help, but I do know there was an operation named that. What do you need?"

"I need you to look into it and tell me why that particular group cared about it." Fitz requested vaguely.

Jake took a sip of the scotch, "You do know that what you're asking me to look into is potentially dangerous and damaging to you?"

Fitz downed the rest of his scotch, "Doesn't matter." He replied gruffly, "I need to know if I deserve what I've gotten or not."

Jake nodded, "I'll see what I can come up with." He stood up, "I'll come by in two days."

Fitz agreed, "Thank you, Jake."

"Anything for you, Mr. President."

SCANDAL

Olivia was still smiling when she pushed open the door to her apartment, "Sorry I'm late." She called out, knowing Huck, Harrison and James were probably already working.

"We've been waiting for you, Olivia."

Olivia stopped in her entryway, Huck, Harrison and James were seated on her sofa, her father was sitting on an overstuffed chair, a glass of wine held loosely by the stem in his fingertips. "What do you want?" She asked quietly.

"Please, come sit down. I'm sure Harrison won't mind getting you a glass of wine." Her father offered.

"I don't want one." She snapped. "I want you to leave. That was our agreement. You were supposed to stay out of my life." She reminded him.

"And you weren't supposed to play in my sandbox anymore." He snapped back.

She continued to stand her ground, arms crossed, "Well then, it looks like we both broke the rules." She observed.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _We've been tested, we've been lucky, we found each other in this endless crowd_

* * *

Eli "Rowan" Pope stood up and crossed the small space to stand in front of Olivia, "Let me tell you what is going to happen next." She arched a brow and waited silently, "You are going to give up this little crusade over Defiance." Nothing had changed since she saw him last. He was still intent on controlling absolutely everything. Including her. There was a reason she left for college and never came back.

"Am I?" Olivia asked, crossing her arms and straightening her posture to her full height.

Eli smirked at his daughter's attempt to intimidate him, "Yes, you are, because if you don't I'm fairly certain your new boyfriend will not be the President of the United States anymore. I'm fairly certain he will be impeached."

Olivia scowled, "You don't honestly think I'd put his career at risk?"

Her father stared at her for a moment before he barked out a bit of laughter, "Oh my, this is just too good." He shook his head, "You fell in love with him." He laughed again, "You take care of him, you clean up after him, you work for him and you fell in love with him."

"He's a good man." Olivia argued, her arms dropping to her side as she took a step forward.

"And you think he fell in love with you, too. That he would leave his prim and proper, debutante wife who is also the First Lady of the United States. You're a regular Sally Hemings." Rowan accused before he laughed again, "And here I thought I raised you to be smarter. I sacrificed everything for you and you went and fell in love with a pretty boy pretending to be a man." He scoffed, "You're an idiot, Olivia." She didn't respond to his biting words, so he continued, "You will drop your search into Defiance or someone you love will pay dearly for it."

Olivia, Huck, Harrison and James watched as he slammed his way out of the apartment. When he was gone, she sagged against the nearest wall. "Damn." She jerked a hand through her hair in an attempt to calm herself.

Harrison was by her side in an instant, "Come on, Liv, let's get you to the couch." She let him gently push her back on the sofa.

"Here, drink this." James had a glass of wine in his hand. They were all sitting down now, watching as Olivia took a few sips to calm herself.

"Your father," Harrison cleared his throat, "he's a piece of work." He settled down next to her on the sofa, gently rubbing her back.

Olivia chuckled into the glass, "Yeah, why do you think I left." She muttered taking another sip.

"We still don't know why B-613 was involved with Defiance." Harrison pointed out, "Why did they want Fitz to be President?" He stood and began to pace, "That's what this all comes down to. Fitzgerald Grant had to be the President of the United States. Why?" He asked. "What did he think he'd get from that?"

Olivia shook her head, "I have no idea. I mean, other than politically speaking, what's the difference between Fitz and Reston? I highly doubt my father cared about tax laws and the minute differences in foreign policy." She admitted. "There's something that Fitz as a Grant brought to the table."

"I can find out." Huck offered.

All heads shot up, "What?" Three voices echoed simultaneously.

"Well, maybe." Huck amended. "There's someone, his name is Charlie, he contracts out now. He worked with me, trained me, at B-613."

"Do you think he could help? Do you think he would know?" Harrison asked quickly.

Huck shrugged, "There's a chance. If I can track him down. Give me a day."

Olivia chewed on her bottom lip, "Fine. Look into it." She paused, "I don't want Fitz to know yet. Let's see what Huck comes up with first."

"Wait," Harrison held up a hand, "you don't honestly think it's a good idea to keep from Fitz that your father was here warning you?"

Olivia put her head in her hands, "I don't know. The last thing I want is him ruining everything Fitz has worked for."

"But keeping this from him" James protested.

"Is wrong." Olivia surmised, "I know." She sighed. "This is all just a big mess."

Harrison snorted, "You have a gift for the understated."

Olivia just chuckled, "Thanks. I guess I'll talk to Fitz tomorrow." She paused, "I'm going to leave Charlie out of it, though. I want to see what you find first." She told Huck.

SCANDAL

Olivia waited patiently through the work day, trying to focus on typing up notes for Fitz's next speech, doing some side research for James, and ignoring Abby's pestering about another night out with the group. "Livie?" She looked up and found Fitz hovering over her desk, "It's 8pm. Everyone else has gone home and you're still working." He observed.

She glanced down at the clock on her desk. "Oh."

He chuckled, "Oh." He repeated, "Come on, out with it. You've been chewing on something all day."

She opened her mouth "I have not."

He shook his head, "I know you better than you think." He picked up her coat, "Come on, we're going for a walk."

"Fitz! It's freezing outside." She protested.

He paused, "Let's get something warm to take with us."

He led her into the break room and they were silent as they made two cups of tea. Olivia agonized how to explain her father and his accusations. Once they were outside, she sighed, "I guess I need to tell you what's going on."

He shrugged, "If you want to. I just want to help however I can."

"My father came to see me last night." She murmured.

Fitz nearly dropped his mug of tea, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "Of course, he wouldn't actually hurt me." She stated confidently. "Just piss me off and try to control me." She muttered.

Fitz's shoulders dropped slightly, "What did he want then?"

"He ordered me to back off Defiance." She took a sip of her tea, "Fitz, I'm afraid that he may come after"

"Me." He finished, "You're worried about my job." He surmised. "Olivia," He stopped and set his mug down on a stray pot, "I don't want you to worry about me. If I'm not meant to be here, then fine."

"No," Olivia put her own cup next to his, reaching up, she cupped his cheeks, "Fitz, you are an amazing president and I'm not letting you give that up."

He was shaking his head, "Olivia, I don't think you understand," he dropped his hands and stepped back, "if I didn't actually earn this, then I don't want it. I won't take what I didn't earn."

Now it was Olivia's turn to shake her head, "I highly doubt that you lost that election, Fitz. I followed it. I know, and I know that it was close, but I think you won. I believe you won on your own because it was the people's _will_." She could tell he didn't believe her. She wondered if Huck could somehow find the actual election results. And if he could, perhaps he could ease Fitz's mind and proving to him that he should be in that office leading this great nation.

SCANDAL

Huck tapped his fingers on the countertop, his fingers wrapped around a mug as he waited. "So, it's Huck now." A dark haired man slid into the booth across from Huck, "Like Huck Finn? Cause I gotta admit, man, that's kind of lame."

Huck scoffed, "And you're Charlie? Like Charlie Brown?" He shot back.

Charlie just rolled his eyes and ordered a cup of coffee, "What do you want?"

"I want to know why he wanted Grant to be president." Huck murmured.

"He? As in" Charlie paused, "no man, I'm not in that game anymore. I mean, yeah, I'm a gun for hire, but I stay away from that particular scene. Have ever since I got out." He shrugged, "Who I work for now, well, let's just say The Hole isn't even a consideration."

Huck swallowed hard, "Let's say you're telling the truth," he paused, "what would it take for you to work with me again?"

"Against Command?" Charlie scoffed, "No way, Huck."

"He's threatening a friend of mine. And I think," Huck leaned forward and looked around, dropping his voice as he admitted, "I think he rigged the last presidential election."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	16. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _We've been blessed, our search is over, forever starts right here, right now_

* * *

Charlie ducked his head as he followed Huck down the hallway to Olivia's apartment. He was trying to wrap his head around the fact that Command wanted a particular person as president. It didn't seem to make sense to him. There was something more here. He wanted to kick himself for being so damn curious. Curiosity and the cat and all that.

When Huck unlocked the door, he was met with arguing.

"We can't just give up!" James screeched.

"Well we can't throw Fitz under the bus, either!" Olivia rounded the table. "We have to scale back. We have to make sure that he's protected."

"We're talking about treason, Olivia, this needs to be handled now!" Harrison interjected.

"Hey!" Huck yelled, silencing them all. "You know, just because I've swept the apartment and halls for bugs, doesn't mean that I can keep _people_ from overhearing what's being screamed in here. We can hear you guys in the hallway. So shut up." He ordered. "And sit down!"

Olivia, James and Harrison all gaped at him, but sat down as they were told. "Wow," Charlie rocked on his heels, hands shoved in his pockets, "obedient bunch." He commented.

"You too, Charlie." Huck motioned to a chair, "Sit." Charlie grumbled something under his breath, but sat as he was told to. "Now, Olivia, James, Harrison, this is Charlie." He paused, "We worked together for B-613."

Charlie leaned back, "Howdy."

"You can help us? You know about Defiance and" Olivia began rattling off.

Charlie held up his hands, "Hold up, I don't know anything about the election rigging, but I'm curious. Or something like that." He shrugged, "Maybe I'm just bored. It's been awhile since I've worked." He admitted. "You know, money's great, but killing people is way more fun."

He was met with silence.

"Wow," Charlie whistled, "tough crowd."

Huck rolled his eyes, "Charlie can help us get answers."

"I think we've determined that we need answers." Olivia snapped. At the looks she received, she sighed, "Sorry."

"Well, you just let me take a look see at what you've got going on, and I can start getting answers." Charlie stood and clapped his hands, "Don't worry," he nodded to Olivia, "I heard what you were yelling about, I'll leave the president out of it." He promised.

Olivia sighed in relief, "Fine. Just do it. I just" she put her head in her hands, "I don't want Fitz in the crossfire." Charlie didn't respond, he just hummed and took a seat at the dining room table, starting to sift through the material they'd gathered.

SCANDAL

Olivia knocked on the Oval Office door the next morning, "Have a minute?" She asked.

Fitz grinned and stood, motioning her towards the windows and away from the cameras, "What's up?" He asked softly.

"Huck has a friend, he used to work in" she glanced up at the ceiling, " _that organization_. He's going to see if he can find out why they'd be interested in _it_."

Fitz chuckled, "It seems we were on the same page. I have a friend who was in the military who was in that world, he's doing some digging as well."

Olivia shook her head, "No, you need to stay out of this."

"I already told you," Fitz latched lightly onto her biceps, "my job is the last thing I'm worried about. I am, however, worried about you. I don't like you hanging around this world. Father or not. I do not want you hurt. I can't have you hurt. I just found you." His voice dropped slightly, cracking as he finished speaking.

Olivia glanced up at where the cameras were and pushed herself even closer to the wall, "Kiss me." She whispered. He hummed and dropped his head to hers, his lips brushing overs lightly before applying a bit more pressure. His hands sliding up in her hair to cup her head, tipping it back a bit more to deepen the kiss.

Two minutes later, Olivia was smoothing down her hair as she crossed the room, a smile teasing the edges of her lips as she sat back down to focus on her work for the day.

"Well, don't you look happy this morning."

Olivia wanted to punch a hole through her desk. Mellie had taken a trip out to Santa Barbara to see the kids over the past few days (Olivia thought it was to try to escape Defiance for a bit), but it seemed she was back. "Good morning, Mrs. Grant, what can I do for you?"

Mellie's face was drawn up in a scowl, "I need to speak to my husband. Is he in?"

Olivia cleared her throat, "Yes, he is. Go right ahead." She motioned to the door. Fitz was going to have to face her sooner or later, she supposed.

Mellie snorted, "Well, thank you very much for your permission." She turned on her heel, "And for the record, Ms. Pope, you will _never_ have my husband." She warned her. Olivia bit her lip as Mellie pushed the door open without knocking, slamming it shut behind her.

SCANDAL

Charlie stepped onto the elevator and nodded at the man already on there, "Thanks."

The round, blonde man chuckled, "No a problem, what floor?"

"Eleven." Charlie rattled off absently. He watched as the man pushed it for him. "Thanks."

SCANDAL

That evening, Mellie, Verna and Cyrus paced around Hollis's office, "Where is he?" Mellie screeched.

Cyrus grumbled, "I'm sure he'll be here. He called the damn meeting."

"Well, it's rude to keep us waiting." Verna coughed into a handkerchief. "Stupid Texan."

SCANDAL

Charlie pulled out his phone, "Hey, Huck, you got some time? I have a guy here who can help us. I'm texting you an address." He hung up and grinned down, "How you doing, Doyle?" He asked, kicking the oil tycoon lightly in the ribs. "I've got a friend on the way. We're going to chat about Defiance for a bit."

Doyle looked up from his place on the tarp, he let out a muffled protest sound from behind the duct tape.

"Oh, now come on, I know you know all about it. And I know you were working with or for B-613 and Rowan Pope. I just want to know why Grant was so damn important. And how you got involved in the first place. Oh, there's probably a lot more. My friend will have lots of questions I'm sure." Charlie prattled on. "When he gets here, we'll talk more."

SCANDAL

When Olivia got home, Huck was just putting on his coat, "Where are you going? Where's Charlie?"

"I'm going to meet him." Huck picked up his car keys, "I'll let you know what he found."

"Can't I come?" Olivia asked, picking her purse back up.

Huck paused with his hands on the door, "No, you can't. I have to handle this." He left her alone in her apartment.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _No one ever loved me like you do_

* * *

"Oh, look who's coming back to the real world." Charlie cooed as Hollis woke up, "Look, Huck!"

Huck chuckled, "Hello, Hollis. It's so nice of you to join us." He squatted down next to the man, "Now, we've got some questions for you. We need you to think real hard and answer honestly." He continued, "Although, personally, I hope you don't answer right away." Huck glanced up at Charlie, "We both hope you don't. You see, I've been clean and sober for quite some time and now I'm ready enjoy myself again." He admitted.

Hollis looked between the two pale and wide-eyed men. He started screaming the moment Charlie picked up a drill and gunned it, "Want to do the honors?" He asked Huck.

Huck grinned, "Thank you." He glanced down at Hollis, "Now, Hollis, we want you to tell us what you know about Defiance and B-613." Hollis's head thrashed and Charlie removed the duck tape.

"Go to hell." Hollis spat.

Charlie chuckled and replaced the tape as Huck applied the drill to Hollis's leg. They both smiled at his muffled screams.

SCANDAL

Olivia poured the final glass of wine from the bottle, taking a deep sip. She knew that look in Huck's eyes. It was the same look in his eyes that she saw when she found him. He was going back down the rabbit hole. He was going to destroy all of his hard work in one fell swoop for her and Fitz.

She took another long pull of the wine.

She truly hoped it was worth it.

SCANDAL

Fitz stood in the living room of the Residence, "This is it then?" He asked.

Stephen opened the envelope and pulled out the stack of papers, "I think we should go through it one more time, Fitz." He admitted, "I want to make sure everything is in order and to your liking."

Fitz sat on the sofa and motioned for Stephen to sit next to him. He took the papers from him and slowly began to flip through them. It took him fifteen minutes before he picked up a pen, his signature scrawling out on all of the dotted lines. "I believe this means that it's to my satisfaction."

Stephen chuckled, "I guess so."

"Go ahead," Fitz motioned to Stephen to continue, "threaten me."

Running a hand through his hair, he asked, "It was that obvious that I was considering it?"

Fitz shrugged, "If she were one of my closest friends, I'd be threatening me. I mean come on, I'm a married man. And when I met her, she was my secretary."

"Fair enough," Stephen assented, "if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

Holding out his hand, he waited for Stephen to shake it, "I promise not to hurt her, Stephen. You have my word."

The door opened and Mellie stepped in the room. "Oh, Fitz, who's this?"

Fitz and Stephen both stood, "This is Stephen Finch. A friend."

Mellie's dark brow arched, "Oh, well, Mr. Finch, it's nice to meet you."

Stephen nodded, "You as well, Mrs. Grant." He turned back to Fitz, "If you need anything more, please let me know."

Following him to the door, Fitz called out, "Thank you, Stephen." When he shut the door, he spun, "Mellie, I have something for you."

She smiled at her husband, "And what would that be?"

He crossed the room once again, leaning down to pick up the stack of papers. He held them out to her and she cocked her head to the side questioningly, "Divorce papers." He told her.

Her outstretched hand wavered, " _What_?"

"I want a divorce." Fitz replied slowly. "And you're going to sign those papers by the end of the day today." He informed her. He picked up his coat off the back of a chair and moved to the door, intent to finally start his day.

Mellie's shriek stopped him, "This is because of that whore who sits outside of your office isn't it! What, she won't let you screw her until you're not married?" Her tirade continued, "Who knew that little Sally Hemings would pull an Anne Boleyn on you."

Fitz spun, his hand slamming against the wall next to Mellie's head, "You will not speak of Olivia like that. Do you understand me?" He asked slowly. "Now, you should spend the rest of today signing the papers and packing your things. You can move into the Blair House until you can get things settled." He paused, "You'll have a week."

"A week?" She screeched.

"That should be more than enough time to decide if you'd like to go back home to Kentucky or to California." He paused, "Of course, the Grant Compound is off limits." He reminded her before opening the door and leaving her alone in the Residence.

SCANDAL

"Becky." Charlie wiped his hands off on a rag, "If she works or did work for Command, that could make things a little challenging."

"She's probably underground." Huck agreed. He glanced down at Doyle, "I think he may need a doctor."

Charlie's head fell to the side, "I guess we did work him over pretty hard." He pulled out his phone, "I know a guy who knows a doctor." He paused, "At least he used to know a doctor, let's hope it's still true." He put the phone to his ear, "Hey, man, it's Charlie." He paused, "Yeah, I know, look, you still have that creepy German doctor friend?" He grinned and gave Huck a thumbs up, "Great, so you remember that old warehouse? Well, we're here and we kind of need this guy patched up." He chuckled, "Unfortunately, we can't kill him. I think we'd get in trouble or something. I don't know." He gave a hum and hung up. "So he's on the way."

Huck paused, "Great." He knew better than to ask questions.

SCANDAL

Mellie threw the packet on Cyrus's desk. "He's asking me for a divorce. Not just asking, serving. He served me with divorce papers this morning. He's already signed them."

Verna took a sip of her scotch, "Do keep your voice down." She muttered. "If he doesn't want to stay married to you, I don't know why you think I should care."

Mellie's eyes darkened and she started to respond, "Because of"

"Don't say it." Cyrus interrupted. "And Verna is right. Your marriage is not our concern."

"It is if I tell Fitz about _it_ , then he will turn on all of you." Mellie warned them.

Cyrus stood up slowly, "You listen to me, Mellie, you say one word, you utter a breath of this, and I will make sure that you are destroyed. And you know that I'm good for it." He reminded her. "Now, sign the damn papers or fight him, I don't care, I have bigger problems to consider right now."

"Bigger than being the Chief of Staff to the first president ever to get divorced?" Mellie asked archly.

"I've seen the poll numbers," Cyrus told her, "I'm not concerned." At her shocked look, he sat back down, "Now get out of my office. I have wars to held end."

SCANDAL

Huck paced, "Where is your friend?" He snapped.

"Concerned about Doyle?" Charlie asked with a chuckle.

"Not even a little bit. I want to get back." He admitted. He was worried about Olivia. He wanted to get back and check in on her. At that moment the door opened.

"Okay, Charlie, what's this all about?"

Huck stared at the approaching men. Without even hesitating, he had one of them pinned to the wall, "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Whoa, Huck, that's Jake!" Charlie protested. "Leave him alone."

"I know who he is." Huck replied slowly, "He was the one threatening Olivia. He's involved in Defiance."

Charlie frowned, "Involved in Defiance?" He glanced at the doctor, "Hey, doc, you patch him up for us?"

The doctor grumbled something about spies, but nodded and moved to the patient, "Look, Huck," Jake spit out, "let me go, just enough to really talk and I'll tell you what I know."

Huck considered this carefully before stepping back, "Okay, what's going on?"

"Command simply asked me to get her out of New York. I had no idea why. I didn't ask questions." He told them, "Honestly, that's the truth. Now," he paused, "this next part may be a little harder to swallow." He admitted, "But, in the spirit of full disclosure, I do know the President. We served in the military together. He asked me to look into this as well. I was looking into Verna Thornton. Did you know she was dying of cancer? Oh, and the president is planning to serve his wife with divorce papers shortly." He paused, "Now, what can I do to help you two?"

Huck's eyes narrowed, "How do we know you're not working for Command still?"

Jake shrugged, "You don't, but the president asked for my help. And I'm a retired B-613 agent. I did this as a favor to Command. And I never hurt Olivia and I didn't plant the bomb." He promised.

Charlie scoffed, "Huck, we don't have to believe him, but he knows a lot now, we might as well see if he's heard of her." Huck didn't respond, so Charlie asked, "Do you know Becky?"

Jake chuckled, "Yeah, I know Becky. I trained her."

Huck stared at her, "You did more than train her," he surmised, "she was your way out."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	18. Chapter 18

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

 _ **AN: I have been floored by the response to this story. I'm honestly so appreciative of all the kind words. Just a word of warning, there are only five chapters left in this story. So, things are coming to a rapid conclusion. It should be all wrapped up by the time we have the season premiere! Eek! So exciting! ~ XOXO MAS**_

* * *

 _You know I've been let down a time or two_

* * *

"I don't trust him." Olivia informed Huck as she positioned herself behind her sofa, her arms crossed, staring across her living room at Jake Ballard, Huck and Charlie. "You stalked me. You terrified me. I don't trust you." She snapped at Jake.

Jake held up his hands, "Fair enough. It's not like I trust you either. You're Command's _daughter_. I know what he's capable of, I can only assume you are capable of it too."

Olivia's eyes narrowed and she was going to respond when Huck cut in, "Olivia and her father are not the same person. If you don't want me to gut you like a fish, I expect you to treat her with respect."

Jake rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath about guard dogs. Olivia and Huck both chose not to respond. Pulling his hands out of his pockets, Charlie crossed to the kitchen, "You got any beer in here?" He asked, "Oh, and Jake knows Becky, so we're going to work on starting to find her, but you know it won't matter." He pulled out a bottle and took the opener off the fridge.

"And why is that, exactly?" Olivia asked, her posture still defensive.

Charlie stared at her, "I'm going to get her some wine. She's no fun all uptight like this." He turned back to the kitchen, rummaging around until he had the wine opener, a glass and a bottle. When he was back a moment later, holding out the glass she still hesitated, "Oh, please, I'm not going to poison you. Especially not with Huck right here. Now, what was I saying? Oh pointless, right." He took a pull of his beer. "Daddy Pope will just kill Becky if he has to, or toss her in The Hole. The only way to shut this down is to shut _him_ down."

Jake sputtered, "You want to shut down Command? Are you out of your fucking mind? It's impossible to shut down B-613." He protested.

"I'm not so sure about that." All eyes spun to the doorway where Fitz stood with Harrison, James, Abby, Leo, David and Stephen, "Sorry, Liv, but it was time to call in reinforcements. According to my resources, Mellie's threatening to go public because I served her with divorce papers today."

David pushed his way in, followed by Leo, James, Harrison and Stephen. "We're going to set up shop here." He said, dropping the two boxes he had on the dining room table. "Harrison said Huck swept the place."

Olivia stared at them, "Okay, first of all, I agree with stalker boy, taking down my father is a lot easier said than done." She held up her hand before anyone could interrupt and continued, "And second of all, my father can just show up here. We need to move this. And Lord knows that he knows I have a president, an attorney general, three spies, a white house spokesperson, a white house reporter and countless other people traipsing around. This is stupid and reckless and is going to get one of us killed."

Fitz dropped the box he was carrying and crossed to her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "You are now being ordered to have around the clock SSA protection." He motioned to Tom, "And one of those men worked for B-613, you don't have anything to worry about."

"It's not me I'm worried about, Fitz." She snapped.

"Well, it's _you_ I'm worried about." He countered, "So stop arguing with me just this once. You can argue with me about anything else you want to argue about for the rest of our lives, just let me have this one."

Olivia shifted on her feet, "You really served her with divorce papers?" She whispered.

"I really served her with _signed_ divorce papers." He clarified. "And, when I get back tonight, she should be all moved into the Blair House. She has one week and then she's out of there. She'll probably head back to Kentucky. Then I'll move my kids here for school and we'll get rid of your father and Defiance and we can start fresh."

Olivia was hesitant to believe all of that would come to pass so easily, but for now she could only focus on her father, "So how do we take down Command?" She asked the room.

David opened a box, "We start by determining how B-613 is funded."

"I'll get some beer." Leo moved to the fridge.

"I'm going to order take out, this is going to be a long night." James picked up one of her phones.

"I'm going to join you with the wine." Abby pointed to the full glass Olivia still held in her hand.

"Here's to destroying a secret government organization." She toasted Fitz glibly.

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Hopefully so." He agreed.

SCANDAL

"I don't understand, Hollis, what the hell happened?" Mellie was pacing around the living room of the Blair House.

"Two of Olivia Pope's dogs attacked me." He grumbled, wincing as he picked up his glass of scotch.

"Why? What did you tell them?" Verna snapped.

"I told them about Becky. I couldn't take it anymore. And they weren't going to kill me. Now I don't know what's going to happen. They just let me go. They should've have, but they patched me up and let me go." He groaned at the exertion it took to raise his voice.

Cyrus couldn't stop moving. He just paced, his mind racing through what Rowan was going to do when he found out. He probably already knew, it was more a matter of when he acted on it. "Cyrus, you're making me nauseous." Mellie whined, "Settle down."

"Settle down? Settle down? We got in bed with the Devil on this one and now we're going to burn." He raved.

"That's an interesting way to view me." All eyes turned to the doorway, "Now, you all have been very bad children." He tutted them, "You let your dogs off their leashes." Rowan moved into the living room, taking one of the chairs, "Let's talk about how you're going to put them down, shall we?"

SCANDAL

Three hours later, Olivia was rubbing her temples, "They're siphoning money from every government organization that exists." She grumbled.

"We don't know that for sure." Abby piped up, "We haven't read the charters for every government organization that exists."

"Olivia's right, there's no clear channel of money flowing in." David tipped his chair back, "Cutting off funds may not be the right move."

"Well then what is?" Olivia stood up to pace in circles, "We can't take down Rowan Pope. He's untouchable. He's indestructible."

"No one is indestructible." Fitz told her, "Everyone has a weakness."

Olivia was already shaking her head, "He'd hang me out to dry if it meant saving his own skin, I know it. I'm protected to a point. And I may be toying with that point right now." She jerked her hand through her hair, "If we can't take down Rowan Pope and we can't dismantle B-613, what can we do?"

Jake looked up, "What if we have him arrested?"

"We just said we can't take down Rowan Pope." Harrison deadpanned.

Jake locked eyes with Olivia, "Not Rowan Pope"

"Eli Pope." Olivia finished, catching onto the train of thought instantly. "What if we have Eli Pope arrested."

"But they're the same person." Stephen pointed out, "How can we take down either of them."

Harrison chuckled, "Taxes. What if we take Eli down for taxes, or something just as mundane."

James was shaking his head, "Embezzlement." He stood up and started pacing alongside Olivia, "What if we move some of this money that's being channeled to B-613 and we set it up to look like he's embezzling from the Smithsonian?"

Jake was nodding, "We'd have to do it quickly."

"And secretly." Charlie pointed out, "How does Command control everything? There has to be something he works off of."

"A cell phone." Jake responded. "Everything is on one cell phone. If we can get the codes off of the cell phone, we can shut down the headquarters, move all of the money out of B-613, plant it in Eli Pope's account, call in an anonymous tip and both the organization and the man are shut down."

Olivia nodded, "So how do we get the phone?"

Fitz shook his head, "We don't. I do."

The entire apartment erupted in protests and chaos.

"No, think about it. He comes into the White House, and he has to go through security. He'll have to take it out of his pocket." Fitz explained, "When he does,"

"You use this." Huck disappeared for a moment, only to return with a flash drive, "Have him waylaid at security. It will take thirty seconds to download all of the information off of his phone. He won't even know it's gone."

"I can do it." No one had heard Tom enter. "I can do it. I can be at security and I can do it without him knowing." He paused, "You're sure you can do this? You're sure you can take him down?"

Jake, Huck and Charlie nodded simultaneously, "We're sure."

"Then I can do it." Tom agreed.

Fitz nodded, "It's settled. Once Tom has the flash drive, he'll bring it directly here. Olivia, you'll be at work, so will the rest of you, it'll be like nothing is happening. Jake, Charlie, Huck and Harrison will be here."

"We'll move the money out of the account, we'll send it through accounts at the Smithsonian and then we'll tip off the police." Charlie finished.

"And in the meantime, we'll also hunt down Becky to find out why it was so important to have you in office." Jake told Fitz, "We'll see if there's something bigger in play we need to be concerned about."

Picking up his coat, Fitz shrugged it on, he leaned down and brushed his lips lightly over Olivia's, "Try to get some sleep. I'm leaving Tom here for the night." He told her, "No arguments."

She wrapped her sweater around her tightly, "None." She agreed, "Just this once."

Twenty minutes later the apartment was nearly empty. Jake, Huck, Charlie and Harrison were the only ones left to help her clean up. "This will work, Olivia." Huck promised her, "We can do this."

She took a steadying breath as she tossed a wine bottle out, "I hope so."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	19. Chapter 19

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _I was all but lost, I was nowhere bound_

* * *

Olivia had never been so scared in her entire life.

She hadn't been this scared when her mother died in a plane crash. She hadn't been this scared when she found out what her father actually did for a living. She hadn't been this scared when Edison was nearly blown to bits. She hadn't been this scared when Jake started stalking her.

She had never been this scared in her entire life.

And it wasn't as if she were the one actually facing off with her father.

SCANDAL

Fitz fiddled with the pen cap as he waited. Rowan Pope, a man he'd only met once before, would be at the Security desk at any moment. Tom was there waiting with the flash drive from Huck. It just all seemed so easy. The plan had fallen right into place so suddenly. It made him think they'd missed something huge.

Or that someone was playing them.

He shook his head. At the very least, they could startle Command with their audacity. At the most they could destroy the man.

He was hoping for the latter.

And then there was the problem of what to do with Cyrus, Mellie, Verna and Hollis. Olivia was right. If he threw them under the bus for Defiance, he'd be facing impeachment. And for all of his big words about not wanting something he didn't earn, he _did_ want to be president. He'd fought hard to get here. And he was making a difference. He may not have been in office for very long, but he could already see the changes in the nation starting form. He wanted to keep the ball rolling. And he wanted to do it all over again. He wanted to do it right, without Mellie, without Cyrus, without Doyle's money. He could do it. He knew he could.

He jumped when there was a knock at the door and Olivia poked her head in, "He just got to security." She informed him.

He swallowed hard, "Good. Just try to be natural, Liv. He can't hurt you here. And if something goes wrong, well, he can't hurt anyone here."

She nodded slowly, "I know that." She murmured. "Good luck, Fitz." She shut the door softly behind her and took her place at her desk, focusing on transcribing more notes.

SCANDAL

Tom approached Rowan Pope the moment he came to the private security entrance set aside for people with business at the White House. "Good afternoon, Mr. Pope."

Rowan Pope chuckled at Tom's approach, "And how are you today, Mr. Larson?" He asked amused that Fitz had sent one of his own former agents to greet him.

"Fine, sir." He led the way to the security check in, "I apologize, but unfortunately you will not be able to bypass security." He stepped off to the side. "We had to heighten our alert recently."

Rowan wanted to snort, "I'm sure you did." He watched as Tom moved away from him to go through a staff entrance while he was ordered to remove his coat, his shoes, his belt and all items from his pockets.

Tom watched as he put all of his personal effects into a basket to go through a scanner. He nodded discreetly towards Harry, who ran the metal detector. Harry set it off, forcing Rowan to be pulled aside. While the man's back was turned, Tom, slipped his phone out of the basket and stuck the flash drive in, watching as it slowly ticked it's way to completely copying the files on the phone.

He felt the sweat break out on his brow as Steve moved through the pat down far quicker than Tom would've liked.

He dropped the phone back in the basket, pocketed the flash drive and stepped back just as Rowan was turning around. He kept his face placid as Rowan collected his things and redressed, "Well, security is always a pleasure, isn't it?"

Tom nodded without saying a word, turning to lead Rowan up to the West Wing.

Olivia swallowed her sip of tea hard when she saw Tom rounding the corner, her father trailing behind him. She took a few deep breaths and kept her eyes trained on her computer monitor, her fingers flying over the keys automatically. Tom cleared his throat and Olivia looked up.

"He's expecting you." She replied blandly.

Rowan's smile was sarcastic, "Thank you, _Olivia_." She made no move to get up and didn't respond.

Once Tom had the door shut, she arched a brow. He gave her a near imperceptible nod and was moving down the hallway quickly, speaking quietly into his sleeve that he needed the car pulled around. He had a stop to make.

Olivia failed to notice Cyrus standing off to the side watching. He pressed his fingers to his forehead and tried to calm his breathing before he dug his phone out of his pocket. "We have a problem. He's _here_ in the Oval with Fitz."

SCANDAL

"This was her last known address?" Charlie asked.

Huck nodded, "This is all we've got on her." He passed the file over to Jake. "We should look around while Rowan's busy." He commented.

"In and out, let's go." Jake nodded, tucking the file under his arms and donning gloves.

SCANDAL

"I want to be very clear about something." Rowan adjusted his position on the sofa in the Oval Office, "I understand you've served your wife with divorce papers, that does not mean you get to play with my daughter."

Fitz chuckled, "Believe it or not, I did not call you here to ask for your permission to date Olivia."

"That's wise, because you wouldn't get it." Rowan snapped.

"You do realize that she doesn't need or want your permission or approval in any aspect of your life, don't you?" Fitz asked quickly. "She's a grown woman who makes her own choices."

Rowan scoffed, "And you just know all about her, don't you? You understand her so very well after spending what? Two months with her while you're married?"

"We're not together." Fitz cut in. "I didn't want to demean her status in that way. I don't want her to be in the shadows. I want everyone to know that I chose her and she chose me. And I wanted to do that _after_ making a clean break from Mellie."

"Because Mellie is just going to walk away from the White House." He snorted, "Are you really that naive?"

Fitz shrugged and leaned back in his chair, "Perhaps."

SCANDAL

Tom laid the flash drive on the dining room table. "How was the hunt for Becky?"

Huck grunted and grabbed the drive, "Unsuccessful."

"A waste of time." Charlie corrected, "She's gone underground."

Tom rolled his eyes at the glibness in Charlie's voice. He'd never been a fan of the man, "Well hopefully this won't be a waste of time." He glanced at his watch. "I've got to get back to the White House."

"We'll let you guys know what we come up." Jake waved as he hovered over Huck's shoulder.

SCANDAL

Mellie paced the living room of the Blair House. If Fitz was meeting with Rowan, this could all blow up in her face. Defiance wouldn't just ruin her reputation, it would ruin her life.

Unless. . .

Her eyes landed on the divorce papers.

Being in jail would be worse than not being the First Lady.

Picking up a pen, she scratched her name out on the tagged lines and tucked them back into the envelope. "I'm going to the White House." She called out to the guards, "I need to give something to Fitz."

She heard footsteps clattering behind her as she opened the door to the tunnels that led to the White House. In ten minutes she was standing in front of Olivia's desk. "Please tell me he's in there alone."

Olivia looked up tiredly at Mellie's voice, "Yes, he's in there alone."

Without waiting for Olivia's permission, Mellie spun and pushed the door open. She found Fitz laying on the sofa, "Fitz,"

"Not now, Mellie." He grumbled.

"I have something you're going to want." Mellie shut the door and crossed to stand over him. She waved the envelope up in her hand, "Divorce papers." She dropped them on his lap.

Fitz's eyes open, "You signed them?" He asked incredulously, "Without a fight?"

"Yes." She answered simply.

"But?" Fitz questioned, knowing there was more than that when Mellie was involved.

"Leave me out of Defiance." She bargained. "I don't care what you do to Verna or Cyrus or Doyle, but leave me out of it."

Fitz didn't move from his place on the sofa, "Deal."

Mellie nodded, "Well, then, I think I will be heading back to Kentucky."

"I'm bringing the kids to DC for school." He informed her, "You may want to stay in town."

She shook her head with a scoff, "No, I think I'll go back home." She replied, "I'll have my attorney call your attorney." And she was out the door before he could even begin to respond to her statement.

"Well, I'll be." He murmured. He waited two minutes to ensure she was gone before throwing the door, "She gone?" Olivia glanced up tiredly and nodded, "Livie?" She arched a brow and stared at him expectantly, "She signed the papers."

Olivia's mouth dropped open, "What?" She asked quietly.

Fitz knelt down in front of her, ignoring the Marine sentries. "Mellie signed the divorce papers. Livie, I'm free." He cupped her chin lightly, "And the moment we get rid of your father, you will be too."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	20. Chapter 20

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _You came along and turned my world around_

* * *

Rowan leaned back in chair. Whatever the Grant boy thought he would get from his daughter, surely wouldn't last. He couldn't be concerned with it. He was concerned with the rumor that Mellie Grant had signed the divorce papers. If that were true, then something was very, very wrong. He may very well be losing control of the group in the White House.

It was time to set them up to take the fall for Defiance.

He turned back to his computer and began typing.

SCANDAL

"These passwords reset, Huck." Jake was pacing behind Huck's chair at Olivia's dining room table, "If you can't get this done the first time, they may realize that the files were copied. This is a one time deal."

"Stop pressuring Huck." Olivia snapped from across the room, "It's not helping things."

"He needs to know how important this is." Jake shot back.

"You two should stop arguing." Abby clutched her glass of wine close to her chest, "You're making me nervous."

"You're nervous? We're taking down a secret government organization. That was not part of the job description." Leo whined.

Stephen leaned forward in his chair towards Fitz, "They're always like this?" He asked.

Fitz chuckled, his eyes following Olivia's pacing form, "Yeah, they're always like this." He confirmed, "I try to keep them out of my office, though."

"I really don't blame you." Stephen rolled his eyes.

Harrison sat down heavily on a chair near them, "I think I may have an ulcer now." He admitted.

"You? I gave the President of the United States divorce papers and now I'm involved with this. I'm an attorney." Stephen whined.

"I can hear you whining from over here. Stop it." Olivia shouted. "Huck, how are you doing?"

"He's doing fine." Charlie came in with another bottle of wine, "Drink more. Worry less." He filled her glass up.

A shot rang out through the room, breaking the window and shattering two lamps.

Shouts bounced off the walls as glasses fell to the floor and people dropped to the ground. Huck, Charlie and Jake were crouched, ready to spring into action, the laptop forgotten on the dining room table. Tom and Hal burst through the door the next moment, guns drawn as another two bullets flew through the now open window.

Tom hit the ground next to the president, "Stay down." He ordered, "We have shots fired, coming from the building across from us." He yelled into his sleeve.

"Is anyone hurt?" Hal asked.

"Stay with Olivia." Fitz ordered. He was answered with a loud groan. "Olivia?"

"She's been hit." Hal screamed out.

Jake moved towards the dining room table. Reaching up quickly, he pulled down Huck's laptop. "You need to finish this now." He ordered.

"At least it didn't get shot." Huck muttered, scooting into the kitchen before his fingers continued to fly across the keyboard.

Charlie smacked Jake's arm, "We're going."

"What?" Leo called out, "What do you mean you're going?"

Jake pulled a gun out of the ankle holster, "We're going to see what we can find. Don't let your guys arrest us." He glanced down at Hal, who was leaning over Olivia, putting pressure on her stomach. "We'll get the ambulance up here."

"Where was she hit, what's going on?" Fitz screamed from his place under Tom.

"Stay down, Mr. President." Tom ordered.

"Tell me about Livie." Fitz demanded. When no one responded, he screamed out, "Livie?"

SCANDAL

Fitz paced the waiting room of James Madison Hospital. Abby, Leo, Harrison, James, Stephen and David watched him silently, their faces drawn tight.

"How long has she been in there?" Abby asked, tucking herself into Leo's side.

His arm came around her shoulder, "It hasn't been too long, yet, Abs. She'll pull through. She has to."

"Has anyone heard from Huck?" James asked, just as his cell phone went off. He jumped to his feet, "Huck?"

"It's done."

SCANDAL

"You weren't supposed to hit Olivia." Verna screamed, "You were supposed to shoot the President."

"There were a lot of people in the room, a lot of activity. I did my best. It's not like you could've made the shot if you wanted to." Becky yelled back at the old Justice. "In any case, he'll do whatever you say just to protect Olivia's life. I expect payment transferred to my account by the end of the day."

SCANDAL

"What?" Rowan sighed, "Cyrus, you're speaking far too quickly for your own good. What is going on?"

" _Olivia was shot." Cyrus informed him._

The phone felt heavy in Rowan's hand and he swallowed hard, "What do you mean she was shot?"

" _I mean that someone shot up her apartment and she is at James Madison Hospital in surgery right now." Cyrus explained slowly, trying to calm his racing heart._

"This is all your fault, Cyrus Beene. If you hadn't let Defiance get out, my daughter wouldn't be nearly dead. You should" The phone cut off as the power shut down around him. He dropped it onto the desk. "What on earth is going on?" He stood up and through the door open, "What's going on?"

Three agents appeared before him, "The servers, everything, it's all down." One of them informed him.

"Well get it back up. Is the generator running?" He asked quickly.

"The line's been cut, sir." Another shifted slightly on his feet.

Rowan's eyes narrowed and he suddenly remembered his pat down at White House security and the meeting with the president that amounted to nothing. He let out a growl and picked up his coat, "Get everything up and running. Make sure all of our files are secure. Now." He ordered, "And get me a car, I need to get to James Madison."

SCANDAL

Jake, Huck and Charlie all came into the waiting room, a computer tucked under Huck's arm. "So, I've started running the money through different accounts. I've connected it to the Smithsonian." He whispered, "I'm going to transfer it into Eli Pope's account now." He murmured, "Then we need to call the police."

Tom came in the room, "According to scanners, he's on his way to the hospital, sir."

Charlie faced Huck, "Do it now."

"How long will it take the police to verify this?" James asked, "I mean, he could catch this, right?"

"We won't let him." Huck promised.

"You three are going to have to disappear until he's behind bars." David commented slowly. "Even if he can't trace the hack or the money, he knows it's going to be you three. You'll have to disappear."

"And you all will have to stay on White House grounds." Jake replied.

"There's plenty of room." Fitz murmured, running a hand through his hair. "You're not leaving, you're calling into work Stephen." Stephen nodded mutely in response.

They lapsed into silence for ten minutes before the doors flew open, "What did you do to my daughter?" Rowan demanded.

Fitz spun on his heel, signaling to Tom to stand down, "I was going to ask you the same question. I figured the sniper was one of yours."

"As if I would put my own daughter in danger like that." Rowan took another step closer, "This is all your doing, you're trying to ruin her. You're bringing her down with you. You're not a man, you're a boy. A pretty, rich boy who was given things he doesn't deserve. A pretty, rich boy who is easy to control and manipulate and that's why you are here." He scoffed, "You don't deserve Olivia. I raised a woman. A smart and intelligent woman who should be with a man, not a boy. I sacrificed for her. I sent her to school with the children of _kings_ and not so that she could be your mistress. So you, Mr. President, are a boy. And you will never have my daughter."

Fitz took one more step forward so that he was right in Rowan's face. "We'll see about that." He murmured.

SCANDAL

The following morning at the White House was somber. Everyone had heard about the shooting at Olivia's apartment. No one knew who all was there. No one knew what it was about. All they knew was that Olivia had been in surgery all night and was currently in a medically induced coma.

No one dared to knock on the door of the Oval Office.

Cyrus took one look at Olivia's vacant desk and turned, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and dialing two numbers.

Fifteen minutes later he was pacing in the park, "We all heard, Cyrus. Why are we here?" Verna's voice was tired, as she settled on a bench. Doyle fell into the seat next to her.

"He had his own daughter shot. We're all dead. You do realize that he's going to kill us all. He's going to kill us to keep this quiet." Cyrus ranted quietly.

Doyle cleared his throat, "Maybe, maybe not. Now, I've chosen to wipe my hands clean of this entire mess." He glanced between the two of them, "I suggest you two take a page out of Mellie's book. I'm walking away for awhile, going back to Texas. Once this has passed, I'll be back." He stood up on shaking legs, "Have a good day now." He nodded towards them both.

Verna didn't say anything to that. Cyrus watched his retreating figure, "What the hell does that mean?"

Sighing, Verna stood as well, "It means, Cyrus, that as long as you don't say or do anything, we should be fine." She patted his arm, "It's too bad that Olivia was the only one she got."

Cyrus stared at Verna as she walked away, replaying her knowing words in his head. It dawned on him that maybe it wasn't Rowan who had his daughter shot. Maybe it was Verna. And maybe Olivia hadn't been the target. Yanking his phone out of his pocket again, he tried to calm his breathing.

Dropping his phone, his hand came up to clutch at his arm. The pain that ripped through his chest was numbing and he found it hard to stand, his knees buckling beneath him as he hit the ground. He wasn't even aware of the dozens of people who stopped to surround him.

SCANDAL

Fitz sat in Cyrus's room, waiting for him to wake up. He flipped through a budget report very slowly, barely registering the numbers. Olivia was just one floor up and two rooms over from Cyrus and it made his blood boil.

"Mr. President?" Cyrus's voice was raspy.

Fitz set the report down slowly and stared at his chief of staff, "You had a heart attack."

Cyrus coughed and Fitz rose, giving him a cup of water, "Is that what that was?" He asked.

Nodding, Fitz set the cup aside when Cyrus was done with it, "I think that this job may be a little bit too much pressure for you at times."

"I think it's a bit too much pressure for us all." Cyrus deadpanned.

Fitz leaned back on his heels and crossed his arms, "Get better, Cyrus." He murmured.

"You're leaving?" Cyrus asked.

"I'm going to go sit with Livie. She's still in a coma." Fitz picked up his coat and the file.

"Verna." Cyrus spit out, "I think Verna hired the shooter, not Rowan."

Fitz paused, "I'll look into it." He stopped in the doorway, "You may want to consider retirement." He offered slowly.

Cyrus's eyes widened as he took in the president's words. Fitz didn't wait for a response, he simply turned and moved towards the elevator, the SSAs following behind him.

SCANDAL

Rowan sulked as he sat down in the basement of the Smithsonian. The president had him banned from Olivia's room. They hadn't been able to trace the hack, though he had a feeling he knew who was behind it. Unfortunately, Huck, Jake and Charlie had gone underground. The rest of them hadn't left White House grounds in days.

The door pushed open suddenly and he looked up, "Eli Pope?" A police officer, a detective if he wasn't mistaken, was standing in front of him.

"Yes?"

"You're under arrest for embezzlement." He motioned to a uniform to cuff him, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can an will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed to you by the state." The detective mirandized him.

Eli "Rowan" Pope's eyes narrowed and he chuckled. _Well played, Olivia, well played._

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	21. Chapter 21

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

* * *

 _You know you turned my world around_

* * *

 _Four Days Later_

 _Lots of changes on Capitol Hill this month. Secretary to the President, Olivia Pope, is still in a coma at James Madison Hospital after being the victim of random shooting. The doctors say they're unsure if she'll pull through. The President's Chief of Staff, Cyrus Beene has resigned after suffering a heart attack. Supreme Court Justice Verna Thornton was found dead in her home this morning by her maid. Apparently, the justice has been battling cancer for the last six months. Services for her will be announced as details become available. The most shocking news from the White House, though, was Mellie Grant's announcement of divorce. A spokesperson for the former First Lady announced this morning that she and the President have filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. She said the divorce is amicable and that, while she will always love him, she has not been in love with him for quite some time. She is planning a move back to Kentucky._

Fitz cut off the television in the living room of the Residence. He wanted to go to the hospital to sit with Olivia, but the kids were due to arrive at any moment and he needed to be home with them. Mellie was wrapping up some last minute housekeeping items with her team before meeting them for dinner so they could speak as a family with the kids. He had to admit, he was surprised at how calm and supportive she was being.

Defiance must've really scared her.

"Are they here yet?" Mellie's voice came from the doorway.

Fitz glanced up, "No, not yet, probably another fifteen minutes. There was an accident on the highway."

She nodded, "Good, I didn't want to keep you guys waiting." She took a seat in one of the chairs, and leaned forward, "Fitz?" He looked up at her, "I'm really sorry about Olivia. I feel like this is all my fault."

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair, "Her getting shot is not your fault. Now, as for the rest of it," he shook his head, "I just wish of all people you'd stayed out of it." His eyes clouded over, "I realize that we've had problems for a long time, so this was a long time coming, but I don't want anything to happen to you. Karen and Jerry need you, Mel."

Her gaze dropped to the floor, "I know. It was petty and short-sighted of me." She agreed. She chewed on her bottom lip slowly, "And I should've believed in you enough. I should've believed that you could win on your own."

"I wish you had." He admitted.

SCANDAL

 _11:57pm_

Jake, Huck and Charlie stood in the waiting room of James Madison Hospital. It only took a few more minutes for Stephen, Harrison, Abby, Leo, David and James to come screeching in. "Well?" Abby asked.

Charlie grinned, "She's awake. Fitz is in there now."

SCANDAL

 _Two Days Later_

Olivia held out her hand and Fitz took it gently, "Welcome back, Livie." He murmured, dragging his chair up to the edge of her bed. She just hummed and he placed a kiss on her knuckles, "I was so scared. I don't think I've ever been this scared in my entire life." He admitted. The past two days she'd been in and out of actual sleep and he hadn't wanted her to focus on anything but getting better. Today was the first day the doctors said it was okay to really speak to her.

"Sorry," her voice caught in her throat slightly and she cleared it, "I didn't mean to get in the way of the bullet."

He laughed dryly at that, "You're more than forgiven. I'm just glad you're awake again."

She moved their joint hands to his face, "You need to shave." She commented.

He shook his head, pressing another kiss to her fingers, "It's been a hectic few days."

"Catch me up?" She requested softly, wincing as she tried to adjust her position.

"Let's just try to get you comfortable first." His voice was so quiet, almost as if he was afraid if he spoke to loudly she'd disappear.

"Just up a little bit." She groaned as she shuffled around the bed, "Wow, getting shot sucks."

He chuckled and nodded, knowing from personal experience that it did, "Yeah, it does."

When she was settled, her fingers firmly linked with his, she asked, "Okay, so what happened? It's been a week now, right?"

He nodded, "Very nearly." Fitz gently combed his fingers through her hair, "Your father's been arrested for embezzlement. He's got an attorney, but the cops have an airtight case against him."

"And when he inevitably gets out?" She asked quietly.

"B-613 has been shut down. Their accounts have been wiped out. After he was arrested, it was easy for Huck, Charlie and Jake to go in and really dig up everything. With David's help, they've been funneling money back to its proper places." Fitz explained.

Olivia nodded, her brow furrowing as she tried to comprehend everything. "And Defiance?"

He nodded, "Apparently, they wanted me in office because they thought they could use me. There are rumors of wanting to start a war in the Sudan." She scowled at that. "I know, it didn't work, Livie, it's okay." She nodded slowly, "Anyhow, brace yourself for all of this." Olivia tightened her grip on his hand and waited, "Mellie is moving back to Kentucky. She's here now with the kids, but she'll be moving next week into our home there. She's getting it in the divorce. The kids are going to start school here in DC in the fall. We offered to transfer them, but they want to finish out the year in Santa Barbara." He explained. He paused, "Cyrus had a heart attack, he's okay, but he's resigned. Doyle has fled to Texas. And Verna died."

"What?" Olivia asked.

"She had cancer, Liv." He murmured, "Though, apparently it seems she hired the shooter, so it's possible your father had a hit put out on her before we had him arrested."

Olivia swallowed hard, "He's a monster." She murmured.

Fitz nodded and continued to stroke her forehead, "I know, Livie, but even if he gets out, he's just going to be Eli Pope. We're done with him, we're done with Mellie and now we just need to focus on getting you better."

She turned her head slightly into his palm, "You have a country to run." She reminded him, "Who's your new chief of staff?"

Fitz chuckled, "Would you believe I was stupid enough to put Leo in that position?"

Olivia laughed and groaned, "Shit." She muttered, "Um, yeah, I would believe it." She sighed, "How is everyone?"

"Well, right now they're all at work. Stephen's doing well, you know working on the first ever presidential divorce got him a promotion?" Olivia just smiled at that, "I hired Harrison. I know, he's a felon, but I overlooked it. He's working for David now." He paused, "Abby's doing great. She's handled the press like a real pro. James is covering a story on a terrorist attack in France. We may have to start to really get involved with the ISIS threat."

"What about Huck, Charlie and Jake?" She asked quietly.

"You're worried about Huck, aren't you?" His voice was soft and lilting. She nodded and waited for him to continue, "I don't think you need to worry about them. None of them want to work for us. I think they all want to freelance. I'm not sure what Huck will do. I'd love to have him working on our side, that's for sure." He shrugged, "I'll have to start thinking about re-election soon. He'd be a great addition to the team."

She hummed, "Yes." Her eyes fluttered closed, "Fitz, I'm tired now. I think I want to sleep. Can you stay?"

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I'm not going anywhere, Livie. And everything is alright. Everyone is alright." He promised her.

SCANDAL

 _The Next Morning_

Olivia was sleeping soundly in her hospital bed and Fitz had spread out at the table, briefs on the threat with ISIS laid out before him. When a light knock sounded he looked up to find Huck poking his head inside. "Hey."

Fitz grinned, "She's out like a light, but doing very well. The doctors said she can go home in a couple of days."

Huck stopped by her bedside and stared down at Olivia's small form, just like he did a couple of times everyday, before joining Fitz at the table. "I have something for you."

Fitz nodded, "Okay, what's up?"

"First, I know you were worried about what Charlie, Jake and I are going to be doing." He paused, "Olivia said she wanted to move. She doesn't want to stay in that apartment. We found her a few new options. We're packing up her apartment and then we're going to watch her for a while, just to make sure, while we look for Becky. That's what we're going to do. We're going to find Becky and watch over all of you guys."

Fitz was touched to be included in that group, "Thank you, Huck. We really appreciate it."

Huck ducked his head and cleared his throat, "I thought you'd like to see this." He placed a folder on the table.

With a questioning glance, Fitz opened it, "Huck, what is this?"

"The numbers from Defiance. The _real_ numbers." He clarified. "It took me a while to go through and retally everything, but you won Defiance. You won it by enough to win the election without their help." He murmured, "So you do deserve to be president and you did win it honestly."

Fitz just stared at him in awe for a few minutes, "You did this for me?"

Huck shrugged, "Of course." He cleared his throat and stood, "I'll be back later to check on her. I've got to go get boxes."

Fitz stopped him before he could get to the door and held out a hand, "Thank you, Huck."

Huck stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it, "Your welcome, Fitz."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	22. Chapter 22

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal_

 _ **AN: So, this is it, the final chapter. There have been questions about a sequel, but unfortunately, no, there will be no sequel to this story. I'm going to focus on "True Believers" and "Glitter in the Air," but I do have a new story in the works. It's called "State of Grace" and it's an AU story that I'm extremely excited about.**_

 _ **I want to take a bit of time to thank everyone who has been so supportive of the twists and turns this story has taken. Thank you to everyone who has read this story and thank you to everyone who has taken time to review. I want to particularly thank: crabapplect, kz4valentina, iloveolitz, SandraNowakowski, noro, chocolate1, BeckyPo, trininads, WebStar, TvIsForever, Cleo, , kkimberly49, CrazyInLoveWithStabler and Puckleberryfan82.**_

 _ **I particularly want to thank jennkyle. You're so sweet and so supportive. Thank you so much for always having kind words!**_

 _ **Anyhow, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and gets a chance to enjoy the premiere tonight! Happy Scandal Thursday! ~ XOXO MAS**_

* * *

 _You know you turned my world around_

* * *

 _Two and a Half Years Later_

Fitz stood in front of the large television in big conference room of the White House, "I can't watch." He murmured.

Olivia chuckled quietly, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, "Yes, you can. You won this. I know you did." She pressed a kiss to his bicep, "Have a little faith." She chided lightly, pressing herself even closer to him.

"Liv's right, don't be nervous, Dad, you totally won this. Right, Jer?" Karen turned to her older brother, who had his eyes glued to a video game in his hand, " _Jer_." She smacked him upside the head with an eye roll.

He looked up, "Oh yeah, totally won it, Dad." He muttered in a monotone voice.

"Honestly, Jerry, can't you put that thing down for at least a few minutes." Mellie chided from her place on the sofa next to her fiance, Senator McCullum of Kentucky.

Olivia snorted, "I think it's morphing into an extension of her hand." She teased, the two women sharing a knowing look. It'd taken a while, but they were finally at peace with one another. They weren't friends, and Olivia would never expect them to be, but they tolerated each other and could work as a team to raise the children.

Fitz sighed and wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her forward, his hand skimming over her swollen belly. He pressed a kiss to her temple, "Thank you, Mrs. Grant." He whispered in her ear. He still loved saying that.

She chuckled and tapped her finger against his nose, "Everyone knows you're beating Reston. Again."

"I'm just ready for Ohio's numbers to come out already." He muttered.

"We ran a tight ship on this campaign." Leo bragged, "Nothing got past us. You've got nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, even I voted for you." Abby held up her glass of wine giggling.

"You should, I gave you a job." Fitz grumbled with a grudging grin. Sometimes Abby was too liberal for him.

"Okay, here it comes!" Harrison called out, waving his bottle of beer around, "Everyone quiet." He ordered.

The room simultaneously held their breath as the different counties of Ohio began to light up different colors. When Defiance came out red, Olivia muffled a small shriek in her husband's shirt. The group shared a collective look of relief at that. Ohio wasn't won yet, but the county that could change everything, that had caused all those problems years before, was won.

It was a start.

SCANDAL

 _One Hour Later_

Fitz let out a laugh as the champagne bottles flew open one by one. There was utter chaos in the room as everyone fought for a champagne flute and chattered excitedly about Fitz's successful reelection and plans for his upcoming term in office.

Standing on a chair, Fitz banged a knife against his glass, "I want everyone's attention just for a moment." The room fell silent, "I just want to take a moment to thank everyone here for everything. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am that I was able to serve as president last term and how amazing it feels to know that I'll be here again. I couldn't do it, I wouldn't do it, without you guys. You're an amazing group of people and you've worked your asses off to get me here. It blows my mind that you have this much faith in me. To my kids, thank you for sticking with me through this. I know it's grueling, I know it's not necessarily the lives you want to lead with suits following you around and the media wanting to know every little detail about our lives. You guys are champs. To my ex-wife, I know that our marriage didn't work, Mel, but thank you still. Thank you for being a wonderful mother to our children. And congratulations on your engagement. I look forward to the wedding. Finally, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Livie. It's been one hell of a ride. I look forward to the rest of our lives together, here in the White House and beyond. I love you."

A collective group of awws filled the air and Leo let out a whoop before toasting, "To President Fitzgerald Grant!" The room echoed his sentiment.

SCANDAL

Olivia yawned and all but threw herself on their bed, "I'm so tired." She muttered.

"You shouldn't have stayed up that late." He reached down and slipped her heels off of her feet.

"It was election night. You didn't honestly believe I was going to leave your side for a moment, did you?" She questioned, scooting further up the bed as Fitz continued to strip her.

"You're pregnant." He reminded her.

"I'm not made of glass, Fitz. I won't break." She scoffed, the scoff turning into another yawn as she shimmied out of her dress, tossing it to the floor.

Fitz laughed, "Here, want my shirt?" He asked as he slipped out of his button down. She reached out blindly behind her to grab it, slipping into it before her eyes fell shut again and her breathing instantly evened out. He brushed a kiss to her forehead before continuing to get ready for bed himself and slipping in next to her.

The past few years hadn't been easy. Eli was not that easily deterred, but with B-613 out of commission, he was easy enough to handle. The media latched onto the fact that Fitz started dating his secretary. It took them three months to finally accept her. By the time their wedding came around, they loved her nearly as much as he did. And now they were having a baby.

Teddy had been dubbed America's baby by the women of The View. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but Olivia told him to roll with it. At least they were finally dealing with good press.

Cyrus, who'd dropped by early on in the night, was running the law school at Harvard. He hadn't taken the hit Fitz wanted him to take after the Defiance scandal, but at least it was behind them and he was only on the periphery of their lives. Doyle, on the other hand, was staying as far away from the White House as possible. Charlie and Huck's consistent presence was enough to handle that. Fitz would be happy never laying eyes on the man again.

Fitz's eyes landed on Olivia's sleeping form. She was dead to the world it appeared. It made him chuckle as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She instinctively snuggled closer to his touch, seeking out the warmth that she swore followed him around. He thought she brought it. He was happy. For the first time in his life, he was truly happy. He had his kids. He had Livie. He had friends. It was amazing how this tiny slip of a woman showed up one day for an interview and turned his entire world around. He rather liked describing it that way. It was how Olivia always put it. She had since their first interview with Diane Sawyer. She claimed that Fitz turned her world around. He thought she did it for him, but who was he to argue. _Life_ , he thought, _it was unexpected, sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad ones_. Letting his eyes rake over his wife one more time before sleep claimed him, he thought, _life was just dandy_.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


	23. Outtake 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time_

 _The Proposal_

One year. It had been one year since Olivia had walked into the Oval Office and first met Fitz. One year to the day. One year since her life had turned around and she suddenly found herself with a real family. A family full of (insane) friends, kids who adored her, a man who worshipped the ground she walked on, everything really was perfect.

She really wished said man were here today of all days. Sighing, she glanced back down at his hand written notes for a speech he was giving next week when the French Prime Minister was in town. Her wonderful boyfriend was out on the West Coast visiting California and doing a bit of stumping for his friend, Andrew Nichols, who was running for a recently vacated governor seat.

On their anniversary.

And he'd taken the kids, so she was destined to go back to her apartment alone and crack open a bottle of wine and pop some popcorn.

"Hey, Liv?" Leo's voice echoed down the hallway long before he actually appeared.

"What's up, Leo?" She asked.

"You doing anything tonight?" He asked.

"Home. Wine. Popcorn. The news." She replied as she paused her typing, "Why? Are you guys going out?" Even though she was dating the President of the United States, she'd made herself a regular at the Tuesday night bar nights. It was nice to still have a job and a social life that was (ever so slightly) outside of Fitz.

"Not tonight, but I need something dropped off at the Residence tonight. Do you think you can take it up on your way out?" He asked, "I still feel kind of weird about being up there alone." He admitted.

Smiling, Olivia nodded and extended her hand. He placed an envelope in it, "Of course." She hadn't officially moved in upstairs (though she spent the night often enough that sometimes it felt like she had). She liked the idea of her own space until they were married. Just in case. Not that she imagined an 'in case' with Fitz. Still, she liked to think she was (attempting) to set a good example for the kids by not living there, yet. It also kept too many rumors from flying. Fitz had taken a bigger hit than anticipated with his poll numbers and this re-election was going to be a bear if things continued on this course. His approval ratings were slowly starting to climb. Olivia had no idea America cared about divorce quite this much. Apparently there was something to be said about keeping people like the president on a pedestal.

She hoped that by the time he term came to an end in two years no one would care anymore. He was an amazing president, helping to strengthen the economy and the military. Countries wanted to be friends with America again, and their enemies were afraid, knowing that the might of the American military would follow. The large income gap was slowly starting to close. Things were headed in the right direction. And if they continued with another four years, the healthcare system could really get cleaned up, along with the way veterans were treated, there was just so much potential. America seemed hopeful.

With a final smile, Leo left Olivia to manning the phone and shifting around Fitz's schedule for the following week.

SCANDAL

Stepping out of the elevator on the Residence level, Olivia smiled at a passing maid as she made her way into the bedroom. She'd leave the envelope on Fitz's nightstand. Leo assured her there was nothing regarding national security inside, just fan mail from his niece.

Her eyes narrowed in on the open doors that led to the Truman Balcony. The doors were wide open, the long curtains blowing in the breeze. One of the maids must've been a bit on the distracted side. Leaving the envelope next to his side of the bed, Olivia crossed the large room to close and lock the doors before security threw the whole building in lockdown.

She paused as her foot stepped on a rose petal just short of the glass door. With her head falling to the side, Olivia stepped out onto the balcony. "Oh my." She murmured. The darkened patio was bathed in candlelight, there were rose petals scattered everywhere and Fitz stood with Karen and Jerry on either side of him wearing a tux, his hands in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels, a nervous smile on his face, "Fitz?"

"Hey, Livie." Reaching out, he drew her towards them. "Surprise."

"This is so beautiful." Olivia felt her stomach swoop at the scene laid out before her. It was breathtakingly beautiful and romantic. The lengths this man went through for her still overwhelmed her and she found herself brushing away a few tears.

"I'm glad you like it." He murmured, "I wanted this to be special, to be something you always remembered."

"Our anniversary?" She asked, her brow arching, "Of course I'll always remember that."

He shook his head, "No, not our anniversary," he corrected softly, "this." He dropped down to one knee and Olivia took an inadvertent step back.

"Fitz." She whispered hoarsely, "You're sure?"

"That I want to marry you?" He asked. At her nod, he chuckled, "Yeah, Liv, I'm sure. I've been sure about you since day one." He told her honestly. "You're open and honest and _good_." He smiled up at her, "And you see me. Not a Grant man. Or the president. You see _me_."

"You see all of us." Karen cut in to correct her father.

Olivia shook her head, "How can I miss the three of you? You bring chaos and trouble and love everywhere you go."

"So, Olivia Carolyn Pope," Fitz nudged Jerry's knee until he handed over a small velvet box, "will you marry me?" He asked, opening it to reveal a nontraditional ring that was beautiful. "It was Betsy Ross'." He told her.

"It's beautiful." She murmured, "And yes, I'll marry you. I love you all so much." She held out her left hand, shaking slightly as Fitz took it, slipping the ring on her finger.

"We love you, too, Liv!" Karen yanked on Jerry until he was stumbling towards them in a group hug. A _family_ hug. That's what they were. A family. And now they were going to be one in every way possible.

"You're getting married!" The four turned as Abby nearly fell out onto the balcony, Harrison, Stephen, Leo, David, Tom, Huck, Charlie and Jake all following her.

"You all were watching?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"Actually," Abby corrected, "we were filming."

"To show the world." Leo interjected.

"You are _not_ putting that online." Olivia told them sternly.

They did. And the proposal nearly broke the internet it was shared and viewed so many times.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS


End file.
